Toyosaburo Taniguchi
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Osaka in 1901, he graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at Tokyo Imperial University in 1925 and joined Osaka Godo Boseki in November 1927. He became a Director of that company in June 1929 and moved to the Toyobo board through the merger of March 1931. He became Managing Director in June 1942 and Director and President in June 1947, but resigned that same month, returning as a Director in December 1950. He became Executive Vice President in June 1951 and President in June 1959. Rather than a career employee, he rose from an absorbed company to the presidency of the parent.
Selection
In June 1959 he became President as Kojiro Abe moved to Chairman. Abe had served as President for 12 years from June 1947 and had also chaired the Japan Spinners' Association from August 1950 to April 1959. In the FY ended April 1959, before he took office, sales were ¥40.6 billion and net income ¥700 million, a quarter of the previous year's ¥2.89 billion. Taniguchi had been Executive Vice President for eight years, and this was also a return after having once stepped down as President in 1947.
Initiatives
In May 1964 the company began producing polyester at the Iwakuni Plant. Having passed on a technical tie-up with Britain's ICI in 1954, it entered the field eight years behind Teijin and Toyo Rayon. In November 1965 he announced the merger with Kureha Spinning, explaining the aim of assembling a full range of major synthetic fibers including nylon. The merger was completed in April 1966, and in June that year he handed the presidency to Kunio Kawasaki and became Chairman. Over his seven years, sales doubled from ¥40.6 billion in the FY ended April 1959 to ¥84.8 billion in the FY ended April 1966, but net income shrank from ¥700 million to ¥250 million.
Career
Career
Toyobo
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1959 | President |
| 1966 | Chairman |
| 1966 | Stepped down as President |