Ichiji Otani
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Hyogo in 1912, he graduated from Kobe University of Commerce in March 1937 and joined Toyobo. He worked in synthetic and chemical fiber operations, becoming General Manager of the Operations Office in May 1959, General Manager of Chemical Fiber Operations in 1962 and General Manager of Ester Operations in April 1964. He became a Director in December 1964, Managing Director in June 1968, Senior Managing Director in December 1972 and Executive Vice President in February 1974. Whereas his predecessor Kunio Kawasaki had come from Nippon Keito Boseki and the one before, Toyosaburo Taniguchi, from Osaka Godo Boseki through mergers, Otani was a career employee from the start.
Selection
In June 1974 he became President as Kunio Kawasaki moved to Chairman. It was a promotion just four months after he became Executive Vice President in February. In the FY ended April 1974, just before, sales were ¥311.5 billion and net income ¥7.8 billion, more than double the ¥3.2 billion of the previous year. But with the textile slump after the first oil crisis, the company swung to a net loss of ¥700 million in the FY ended April 1975. A November 1974 newspaper reported the industry view that, with Hong Kong and South Korea catching up, Japan's textile industry could follow the same path as Lancashire in Britain.
Initiatives
His four years coincided with the textile slump. Sales shrank by a third, from ¥311.5 billion in the FY ended April 1974 to ¥211.7 billion in the FY ended April 1978, and the company posted net losses of ¥700 million in the FY ended April 1975, ¥1.0 billion in the FY ended April 1976 and ¥3.4 billion in the FY ended April 1978. Meanwhile, in July 1976, production of biaxially oriented nylon film started up at the Inuyama Plant, converted under his predecessor. In July 1978 he handed the presidency to Osamu Uno and became Chairman.
Career
Career
Toyobo
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1937 | Joined |
| 1961 | General Manager, Operations Office |
| 1962 | General Manager, Synthetic Fibers Operations Department |
| 1964 | General Manager, Esuteru Operations Department |
| Dec 1964 | Director |
| Jun 1968 | Managing Director |
| Dec 1972 | Senior Managing Director |
| Feb 1974 | Executive Vice President |
| Jun 1974 | President |
| 1978 | Stepped down as President |