Japanese entrepreneur and philanthropist Inamori dies aged 90: Kazuo Inamori, the creator of Japanese ceramics and electronics firm Kyocera, has died.
Kyocera started Inamori died of natural causes on August 24 at his home in Kyoto.
Inamori founded Kyocera in 1959 with $22,000 from friends to make insulators.
Inamori’s management philosophy emphasizes people, doing the right thing, and “corporate character,” the Japanese counterpart of professionalism and ethics.
His pioneering ideas for modernizing Japan focused on people and enterprises driven by simple goals, not greed and the desire to serve society.
His beliefs included fair competition, the correct pursuit of profit, and management transparency. He also established six rules for leading a virtuous life as an individual: diligence, humility, meditation, thankfulness, compassion, and detachment.
“Superiors who agree with their subordinates in all areas may look nice, but they are pampering and corrupting their staff,” he said.
“True love entails discerning what’s best for others.”
In the 1980s, Inamori founded Seiwajyuku to teach his management philosophy in more than 100 sites, half overseas. It claims to have trained 15,000 company owners and entrepreneurs worldwide.
As a board member, Inamori supervised JAL’s 2010 bankruptcy resurrection.
In 1984, Inamori founded the Inamori Foundation, which annually awards the Kyoto Prize.
Inamori said all living things, including flowers and animals, desire to live.
To succeed, he stated that you must love your job, so you work harder than anybody else.
Private family funeral. Asako and three daughters survive Inamori. Kyocera said a formal goodbye service might perform later.
