Yoshihiro Inayama
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Tokyo in 1904, he joined the state-run Yawata Steel Works in 1928. He became sales manager of Japan Iron & Steel in 1946 and Managing Director of Yawata Iron & Steel in April 1950, rising to Representative Director and Executive Vice President in May 1960. In the 1962 officer listings, fellow Executive Vice Presidents Masao Yukawa and Tomisaburo Hirai had served as chief engineer and head of administration at the Yawata Works, respectively, while Inayama went straight from sales manager to the board. He was not from a founding family with a shareholding behind him.
Selection
In May 1962 his predecessor Shinichi Kojima stepped back to Representative Director and Chairman, and Inayama became Representative Director and President. Kojima was a former bureaucrat who had moved from the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce to Vice-Minister of Commerce and Industry before joining Japan Iron & Steel's board in 1941, so Yawata here switched from a former-bureaucrat president to a career sales man. In his first year, FY ended March 1963, net sales were ¥201.5 billion and ordinary profit ¥4.3 billion, with ordinary profit down 70% from ¥15.1 billion on sales of ¥239.1 billion the year before.
Initiatives
In March 1970 the merger with Fuji Iron & Steel created Nippon Steel, and Inayama carried on as Representative Director and President. The 1970 officer listings show Shigeo Nagano, formerly President of Fuji Iron & Steel, as Chairman and Inayama as President. Net sales in FY ended March 1971, the first year after the merger, were ¥1,296.9 billion, more than six times those of FY ended March 1963, when Yawata stood alone. In May 1973 he stepped back to Representative Director and Chairman, handing the presidency to Tomisaburo Hirai.
Career
Career
Yawata Iron & Steel
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1927 | 官営八幡製鉄所に入所 (translation pending) |
| May 1962 | President |
| May 1973 | Stepped down as President |
Nippon Steel
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Mar 1970 | President |
| May 1973 | Chairman |