Masao Hasegawa
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
A native of Aichi Prefecture, he graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Kyoto University in March 1938 and joined Yasuda Bank (now Fuji Bank) that April. He became deputy general manager of the head office business department in April 1960 and joined NSK as a chief researcher in its research office in May 1961. He became head of the Administration Department that July, a Director that December, Managing Director in December 1962 and Senior Managing Director in December 1967, becoming president 12 years and seven months after joining. His background was in accounting and finance, through bank operations and internal administration.
Selection
In December 1973 he became President, succeeding Hiroki Imazato, who moved to Chairman. It was just after the first oil crisis, and ordinary income in the fiscal year ended April 1973 had fallen to ¥3.8 billion from ¥5.1 billion in FY ended April 1971. The 1974 roster of executives listed career-insider senior and managing directors such as Katsuo Inaba, who joined in 1937, and Kozo Nakazawa, who joined in 1934, alongside Shoichi Motomura, who came from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1965, and Minoji Takahashi, who came from Fuji Bank in 1971. At a company that kept hiring from outside, he became the second president to come from outside.
Initiatives
Facing import restrictions and high tariffs, he carried on the policy of shifting from sales companies to local production. The Peterlee plant of NSK Bearings Europe in the U.K. was added in April 1974, and the Clarinda plant in Iowa and NSK Singapore in November 1975, while in Japan the Saitama Plant opened in June 1975 and the Fukushima Plant in August 1984. Ordinary income fell from ¥4.5 billion in the fiscal year ended April 1975 to ¥1.1 billion in FY ended April 1976, but recovered to ¥12.9 billion in FY ended April 1980, and net sales reached ¥204.3 billion in FY ended April 1984.
Career
Career
Yasuda Bank → Fuji Bank
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1938 | Joined |
| Apr 1960 | Deputy General Manager, Head Office Sales Department |
NSK
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| May 1961 | Joined |
| Jul 1961 | General Manager, Administration Department |
| Dec 1961 | Director |
| Dec 1962 | Managing Director |
| Dec 1967 | Senior Managing Director |
| Dec 1973 | President |