Kyocera and KDDI founder Kazuo Inamori dies at 90

Aug 31 (Nikkei) - Kyocera and KDDI founder Kazuo Inamori died on Aug. 24, Kyocera announced on Tuesday. Inamori was 90.

Funeral services were held for his family, and a public memorial will take place at an as yet unspecified date and place.

Inamori was born in the city of Kagoshima, on Japan's southern Kyushu Island. After graduating from Kagoshima University's Faculty of Engineering, he worked as an office worker before founding Kyoto Ceramic, now Kyocera, in 1959. He became the company's president in 1966.

Thanks to its "amoeba management," in which earnings were strictly managed by small groups and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) were aggressively chased, Kyocera became a global company involved in everything from electronic components to cellphones and solar cells to office equipment.

Inamori entered the telecommunications market in 1984 with the establishment of DDI, then stayed abreast of deregulatory moves in the telecom sector. KDD eventually merged with other players to form the current KDDI. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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