Kumezo Ishizuka
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
In July 1908 he graduated from Tokyo Higher Commercial School (now Hitotsubashi University), joined The Japan Steel Works and went to Muroran. The company was then in a parent-subsidiary relationship with Hokkaido Colliery and Steamship, and Kakugoro Inoue held real power over both. After a little over two years as deputy manager of the Muroran plant and head of its administration department, he was transferred to Tokyo in September 1931 and became a Managing Director on October 1. In 1937 he bought Nomura Seisakusho of Osaka and served as its president until the end of the war.
Selection
He became President on December 1, 1945, but fell under the public office purge and resigned on January 23, 1947. When the purge was lifted in August 1951 he returned to The Japan Steel Works as Senior Adviser, and became Chairman in March 1954. Four months later, a labor dispute broke out at the Muroran plant over a workforce reduction announced on July 14, taking seven months to resolve. The one who bore the company's responsibility on site was Takeshi Yanagi, who became head of the Muroran plant while remaining a Managing Director. At the end of November 1955, the year after the dispute, Ishizuka was again given the title of President.
Initiatives
From September 1956, the year after returning to the presidency, he also served as president of Nippon Gijutsu Kyoryoku. The Japan Steel Works' net sales grew from ¥9.7 billion in FY ended March 1957 to ¥21.6 billion in FY ended March 1958, then fell back to ¥12.8 billion in FY ended March 1959. As of FY ended March 1961 the major shareholders were Mitsui companies, led by Mitsui Bank at 6.4%, followed by Toyo Trust and Banking at 4.0%, Mitsui Life at 3.2% and Mitsui Fudosan at 2.6%.
Career
Career
Japan Steel Works
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1908 | Joined |
| 1911 | Seconded as Vikkasu Company |
| 1945 | President |
| 1947 | 公職追放 (translation pending) |
| 1951 | 追放解除・復帰 (translation pending) |
| 1955 | President |
| 1959 | Chairman |
| Nov 1959 | Stepped down as President |