Photo: Conrad Erb, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons²⁵

Kazuo Inamori

Japanese philanthropist and entrepreneur (1932–2022)

Kazuo Inamori,²

From Wikipedia’s article on Kazuo Inamori (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jan 30, 1932, died Aug 24, 2022.¹

About

(稲盛和夫, Inamori Kazuo; 30 January 1932 – 24 August 2022) was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur, Zen Buddhist priest, and the founder of Kyocera and KDDI. He was the chairman of Japan Airlines.

Inamori was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2000 for innovation in ceramic materials and solar cell development/manufacturing, entrepreneurship of advanced technologies, and for being a role model for relating science to society.

In 2011, he received the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to progress in science and chemistry.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kazuo Inamori, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

KyoceraFounder²⁰
KDDIFounder²¹
DDI CorporationFounder²²
KDDI India Private LimitedFounder²³
Japan AirlinesChief executive officer Jan 19, 2010 to 2022²⁴

Early life and education

Date not recordedKagoshima High School³
Date not recordedNishida Elementary School³
Date not recordedKagoshima University³

Career

Occupation: entrepreneur, managing director.¹¹

2010 to 2022Chief executive, Japan Airlines¹⁰
Date not recordedWorked at Japan Airlines⁴
Date not recordedWorked at Goldman Sachs⁴
Date not recordedFounded DDI Corporation⁵
Date not recordedFounded Inamori Foundation⁶
Date not recordedFounded KDDI India Private Limited⁷
Date not recordedFounded Kyocera⁸
Date not recordedFounded KDDI⁹

Personal life

BornJan 30, 1932, Kagoshima¹²
DiedAug 24, 2022, Fushimi-ku¹³
CitizenshipEmpire of Japan, Japan¹⁴
SpouseAsako Sunaga married 1958¹⁵

Philanthropy

Inamori, who was a Zen Buddhist priest, established the Inamori Foundation in 1984, which awards the annual Kyoto Prize to honor those who have made "extraordinary contributions to science, civilization, and the spirituality of humankind."

In 2005, the Alfred University School of Engineering (Alfred, NY) was renamed in honor of Dr. Inamori. He endowed the Inamori Scholarship fund in 1996, doubling the fund in 2004. In Dr. Inamori's honor, the Kyocera Corporation has given a $10 million endowment to enable expansion of the Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering's research faculty.

In 2005, Inamori helped to establish the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio), with a gift of $10 million. The center awards the Inamori Ethics Prize to those who serve as examples of ethical leadership and make significant contributions to the betterment of global society.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kazuo Inamori (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Awards

2011Othmer Gold Medal^{16 17}
1999Person of the Year, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan¹⁶
Date not recordedKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire¹⁶

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataKazuo Inamori on Wikidata
2
WikipediaKazuo Inamori on Wikipedia
3
WikidataKazuo Inamori: education, on Wikidata
4
WikidataKazuo Inamori: Worked at Japan Airlines, on Wikidata
5
WikidataKazuo Inamori: Founded DDI Corporation, on Wikidata
6
WikidataKazuo Inamori: Founded Inamori Foundation, on Wikidata
7
WikidataKazuo Inamori: Founded KDDI India Private Limited, on Wikidata
8
WikidataKazuo Inamori: Founded Kyocera, on Wikidata
9
WikidataKazuo Inamori: Founded KDDI, on Wikidata
10
WikidataKazuo Inamori: Chief executive, Japan Airlines, on Wikidata
11
WikidataKazuo Inamori: occupation, on Wikidata
12
WikidataKazuo Inamori: place of birth, on Wikidata
13
WikidataKazuo Inamori: place of death, on Wikidata
14
WikidataKazuo Inamori: citizenship, on Wikidata
15
WikidataKazuo Inamori: spouse, on Wikidata
16
WikidataKazuo Inamori: award, on Wikidata
17
Wikidataaward, as reported
18
WikidataKazuo Inamori: Official website, on Wikidata
19
WikidataKazuo Inamori: IMDb, on Wikidata
20
WikidataKyocera, Founder
21
WikidataKDDI, Founder
22
WikidataDDI Corporation, Founder
23
WikidataKDDI India Private Limited, Founder
24
WikidataJapan Airlines, Chief executive officer
25
Wikimedia CommonsKazuo Inamori photo by Conrad Erb, CC BY-SA 3.0