Taizo Ishizaka
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Taizo Ishizaka was born in Ushigome, Tokyo, in 1886, and after the First Higher School graduated from the law college of Tokyo Imperial University in 1911, joining the Ministry of Communications and being assigned to its Savings Bureau. In 1915, at the request of Tsuneta Yano, president of Dai-ichi Life Insurance, he moved to that company, becoming general manager, Senior Managing Director and then president, and spending 32 years in insurance until he stepped down at the end of 1946. He had worked only in government and life insurance, with no experience in electrical manufacturing or technology.
Selection
Taizo Ishizaka joined Toshiba in 1948 with the promise of being welcomed as chairman, but since the articles of incorporation had no provision for a chairman, he came in as an ordinary director. As a special accounting company, Toshiba had been unable to hold a shareholders' meeting for three or four years, and since operating under those articles meant there was no choice but to have a president, he was elected president by mutual vote in April 1949. He was chosen after two years out of work following his departure from Dai-ichi Life, and arrived alone without bringing a single confidant.
Initiatives
In June 1949, right after becoming president, Taizo Ishizaka pushed through a workforce reduction of about 6,500 people. From February 1956 he also chaired Keidanren, holding the Toshiba presidency and the business federation post in parallel. He served as president for eight years until November 1957; in the fiscal year ended March 1957, Toshiba's net sales were ¥43.0 billion and operating income ¥4.8 billion. In November 1957 he moved to Chairman, and Executive Vice President Fumio Iwashita succeeded him as president.
Career
Career
Toshiba
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1949 | President |
| 1957 | Stepped down as President |