The Inamori Foundation / The Inamori Foundation / The President, Kazuo Inamori

Profile of Dr. Inamori

Kazuo Inamori
January 30, 1932, Kagoshima City, Japan
1955 Bachelor of Sciences, Applied Chemistry, Kagoshima University

Dr. Inamori was born in 1932 in Kagoshima. He graduated from Kagoshima University in 1955 and has received honorary doctorates from several universities in the U.S., the U.K., and Japan. In 1959 he established Kyocera Corporation, which has grown into a well-known international firm supplying a wide range of products from electronic components to consumer products such as cellular phones and cameras. In 1984, quickly responding to deregulation of the telecommunications industry, he founded DDI Corporation (currently called KDDI, the second largest common carrier in Japan). He established The Inamori Foundation in 1984 using his own funds and also the Kyoto Prizes, international awards that honor significant contributors to humanity in the fields of Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy. Dr. Inamori is a member of several overseas civic and professional organizations, including the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. His representative books include A Passion for Success and For People and For Profit.

Career Highlights

Apr. 1959	Established Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (present Kyocera Corporation); Appointed to the Board of Directors
May 1966	Appointed President of Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd.
Apr. 1984	Established The Inamori Foundation; Assumed Presidency
Jun. 1984	Established DDI Corporation; Appointed Chairman of the Board
Jun. 1985	Appointed Chairman of the Board of Kyocera Corporation
Jun. 1987	Established Kansai Cellular Telephone Co., Ltd.(present au CORPORATION); Appointed Chairman of the Board
Jun. 1990	Appointed Chairman of the Board of Taito Corporation
Jun. 1992	Resigned Chairman of the Board and Representative Director of Kyocera Corporation; Retained the position of Chairman and Non Representative Director
Jul. 1994	Established DDI Pocket Telephone Inc.; Appointed Chairman of the Board Established Hotel Kyocera Corporation; Appointed Chairman of the Board
May 1997	Resigned Chairman of the Board and Representative Director of Hotel Kyocera Corporation; Retained the position of Non Representative Director and appointed Advisor
Jun. 1997	Resigned Chairman of Kyocera Corporation; Retained the Position of Non Representative Director and appointed Founder and Chairman Emeritus Resigned Chairman of the Board and Representative Director of DDI Corporation; Retained the Position of Non Representative Director and appointed Founder and Chairman Emeritus Resigned Chairman of the Board and Representative Director of Taito Corporation; Retained the Position of Non Representative Director and appointed Chairman Emeritus Resigned Chairman of the Board and Representative Director of Kansai Cellular Telephone Co,. Ltd.; Retained the Position of Non Representative Director and appointed Chairman Emeritus Resigned Chairman of the Board and Representative Director of DDI Pocket Telephone Inc.; Retained the Position of Non Representative Director and appointed Chairman Emeritus
Jun. 2000	Resigned Non Representative Director and Chairman Emeritus of DDI Pocket Telephone Inc.
Oct. 2000	DDI Corp. merged with IDO and KDD The title was changed from Founder and Chairman Emeritus to Chairman Emeritus
Apr. 2001	DDI Corporation changed the name to KDDI Corporation
Jun. 2001	Appointed Honorary Advisor of KDDI Corporation

Awards: Japan

Mar. 1972	The 18th Okochi Memorial Grand Production Prize
Apr. 1974	The 16th Commendation by the Minister of State for Science and Technology
May 1984	National Medals of Honor with Purple Ribbon

Awards: Overseas

1979	Honorary Citizen of San Diego County, California, U.S.A.
Nov. 1990	Honorary Citizenship of Shilong Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China
May 1997	The Japan Society of Boston Distinguished Leadership Award in U.S.-Japan Relations, U.S.A.
Jul. 1998	Lifetime of Innovation Award of the International Union of Materials Research Societies, U.S.A.
Feb. 1999	Honorary Citizen of Asuncion, Paraguay
Apr. 1999	Frontiers of Science-Rustum Roy Lecture, The American Ceramic Society,U.S.A.
Oct. 1999	John Francis McMahon Lecturer, Alfred University, U.S.A.
Dec. 1999	Person of the Year, The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, Japan
Aug. 2000	Honorary Professor, Xinjiang University, China
Sep. 2000	National Order of the Southern Cross, Brazil

Memberships: Overseas

Foreign Member, Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, Sweden
Member, Reischauer Center Advisory Council, U.S.A.
Member of Board of Trustees, Carnegie Institution of Washington, U.S.A.
Founding Member of National Board, Scripps Clinic & Research Foundation, U.S.A.
Academician, Academy of Ceramics, Italy
Distinguished Lifetime Member, The American Ceramic Society, U.S.A.
Visiting Professor, Nankai University, China
Visiting Professor, ZhongShan University, China
Foreign Associate, National Academy of Engineering, U.S.A.

Main Books

1995	A PASSION FOR SUCCESS McGraw-Hill, Inc.
1997	For People and For Profit KODANSHA INTERNATIONAL LTD.

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