Akio Morita
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Akio Morita (盛田昭夫 Morita Akio, January 26, 1921 in Tokoname, Aichi, Japan – October 3, 1999 in Tokyo) was a co-founder of Sony Corporation.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Morita's family was involved in sake, miso and soy sauce production in Chita Peninsula, Aichi Prefecture since 1665. He graduated from Osaka Imperial University in 1944.
[edit] Wartime
He was trained as a phycisist, Morita was an officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He met Masaru Ibuka in the Wartime Research Committee.
[edit] Sony
After the war, on May 7, 1946, Morita and Ibuka founded Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation, the forerunner to Sony Corporation) with about 20 employees and initial capital of ¥190,000. Ibuka was 38 years old, Morita 25. Morita's family invested in Sony during the early period and was the largest shareholder.
In 1949, the company developed magnetic recording tape and in 1950, sold the first tape recorder in Japan. In 1957, it produced a pocket-sized radio (the first to be full-transistorized) and a year later renamed itself Sony (sonus is Latin for sound, and Sonny-boys is Japanese slang for "whiz kids"). In 1960 it produced the first transistor television in the world.
In 1961, Sony Corporation of America was the first Japanese company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Sony bought Columbia Records and other CBS labels in 1988 and Columbia Pictures in 1989.
On November 25, 1994, Morita announced his resignation as Sony chairman, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while playing tennis. His successor, Norio Ohga, had joined the company after sending Morita a letter denouncing the poor quality of the company's tape recorders.
[edit] Other service
He was also Vice Chairman of the Keidanren (Japan Federation of Economic Organizations) and was a member of the Japan-U.S. Economic Relations Group, (also known as the "Wise Men's Group").
[edit] Publications
In 1966, Morita wrote a book called Never Mind School Records, in which he stresses that school records are not important in one's success or ability to do business. In 1986, Morita wrote an autobiography titled Made in Japan. He was famous for co-authoring the 1991 essay The Japan that Can Say No with politician Shintaro Ishihara, which criticized United States business practices and encouraged Japanese to take a more independent role in business and foreign affairs.
[edit] Awards
He was awarded the Albert Medal from the United Kingdom's Royal Society of Arts in 1982; he was the first Japanese to receive the honor. Two years later, he received the prestigious National Order of the Legion of Honor and in 1991, he was awarded the First Class Order of the Sacred Treasure from the Emperor of Japan.
[edit] Death
Morita died of pneumonia at the age of 78.
[edit] External links
[edit] Further reading
- Morita, Akio. Made in Japan (New York: Dutton, 1986, ISBN 0451151712)
- Morita, Akio. Never Mind School Records (1966) (ISBN 4022604158 in Japanese)
- Morita, Akio (Co-Author) and Shintaro Ishihara. The Japan That Can Say No (Simon & Schuster, 1991, ISBN 0671758535, ISBN 4334051588 in Japanese)
- List of books authored by Akio Morita at WorldCat
| Preceded by ' | Chairman of the Board of Sony Corporation -1994 | Succeeded by Norio Ohga |
Sony Corporation | |
|---|---|
| Technologies and brands | α · Betacam · Blu-ray · BRAVIA · CD · Cyber-shot · DAT · DVD · LocationFree · Memory Stick · MiniDisc · MiniDV · mylo · PlayStation · PSP · VAIO · Video8/Hi8/Digital8 · Walkman · Walkman Phones · XDCAM |
| Historical products | AIBO · Betamax · Sony CLIÉ · Lissa · Mavica · NEWS · Qualia · TR-55 · Trinitron · U-matic · WEGA |
| Operating segments | Sony Corp. (Sony Electronics in the US) · Sony Pictures · Sony Computer Entertainment · Sony BMG Music · Sony Financial Holdings |
| Acquisitions | Columbia Records · Columbia Pictures Entertainment (Columbia Pictures & TriStar Pictures) · Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (20%) · Aiwa |
| Joint Ventures | Sony Ericsson · Sony BMG Music · Sony/ATV · S-LCD · STLCD · Sony NEC Optiarc · FeliCa Networks |
| Key personnel | Phil Harrison · Kazuo Hirai · Masaru Ibuka · Nobuyuki Idei · Yasuo Kuroki · Ken Kutaragi · Michael Lynton · Akio Morita · Norio Ohga · Amy Pascal · Howard Stringer |
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