Jo Sengoku

Profile
Tenure
Aug 1968 – May 1975
Years in office
6.8 years
Name in Japanese
仙石襄
Title at appointment
President
Performance in office
Kuraray
Performance in office
FY1967FY1974Change
Revenue¥65.2billion¥170.6billion+162%
Net margin2.3%3%+0.7pt
SengokuOkabayashi
Revenue¥90.0 billionRevenue¥190.5 billionNet margin2.2%Net margin0.3%1963/121965/121970/121975/121980/12
Revenue¥90.0 billionRevenue¥190.5 billionNet margin2.2%Net margin0.3%1963/121965/121970/121975/121980/12
API: /api/3405/financials_history.csv · /api/3405/financials/pl.json
Tenure

Tenure

Background

He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Tokyo Imperial University in 1929, joined Okura Shoji and moved to Kurashiki Rayon in March 1932. He became a Director in December 1942, Managing Director in October 1945, Senior Managing Director in June 1948 and Director and Executive Vice President in February 1961, and in November that year also became President of affiliate Kyowa Gas Chemical Industry. It was 36 years from joining to the presidency of the parent. He was from Okayama Prefecture, where the company was founded.

Education: Tokyo Imperial University, Faculty of Law (now University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law) (1929)

Selection

In August 1968 he succeeded Soichiro Ohara as President. From the founding in 1926 until 1968 there had been only two presidents, Magosaburo Ohara and Soichiro Ohara, making him the first from outside the Ohara family. In the FY ended March 1968, the year before he took office, sales were ¥74.3 billion. He had spent 20 years as Senior Managing Director and seven as Executive Vice President under the Ohara leadership, and the choice appears to have been made to continue its course.

Initiatives

Reflecting its widening business scope, the company changed its name from Kurashiki Rayon to Kuraray in June 1970. It began producing Clavella polyester filament in November 1969, EVAL gas barrier resin in May 1972 and polyisoprene rubber at the Kashima Plant in December that year, and set up a US sales company in October 1972. Sales grew from ¥74.3 billion in the FY ended March 1968 to ¥178.6 billion in the FY ended March 1975, his final year, but the oil crisis cut ordinary income from ¥11.6 billion in the FY ended March 1974 to ¥1.0 billion.

Career

Career

Okura & Co.

Date Position
Apr 1929 Joined

Kuraray

Date Position
Mar 1932 Joined
Dec 1942 Director
Oct 1945 Managing Director
Jun 1948 Senior Managing Director
Feb 1961 Executive Vice President
Aug 1968 President
May 1975 Chairman

Kyowa Gas Chemical Industry

Date Position
Nov 1961 President
References 4

References (Japanese primary sources)