Yoshimitsu Kora
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He appears as Managing Director on the board list as of January 1964, having previously worked at Fuji Electric Manufacturing. Fuji Electric Manufacturing was the largest shareholder with 48.3% as of March 1963, so he came onto the board by moving over from the parent company. As of March 1975 Fuji Electric Manufacturing still held 28.74%, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank 9.73% and Asahi Mutual Life Insurance 9.24%, and no individual shareholder made the top ten. He had no shareholding behind him.
Selection
Net sales grew from ¥48.5 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1967 to ¥119.4 billion in the FY ended March 1970, the year before he took office, a 2.5-fold expansion in three years. At the time, however, domestic computer makers saw the introduction in Japan of IBM's System/370, regarded as the most advanced computer, as a threat. In May 1970, in the midst of this expansion, the presidency passed from Kanjiro Okada to a director who had come from Fuji Electric Manufacturing, entrusting him with a growing business.
Initiatives
In October 1971 he announced a computer business tie-up with Hitachi. Fujitsu was first in sales and Hitachi second, and the alliance held 30% of the domestic market. Fujitsu's investment in Amdahl of the US dated back to 1972, and the two had close dealings through parts supply and OEM production of some models. In May 1974, half a year before he stepped down, the company invested further in Amdahl under Toshio Ikeda's leadership, gaining a development base and sales network for IBM-compatible mainframes. It thus parted ways with Hitachi and NEC, which kept proprietary specifications.
Career
Career
Fujitsu
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1929 | Joined Fuji Electric Manufacturing |
| 1947 | Moved to Fuji Tsushinki Manufacturing |
| 1949 | Director |
| May 1970 | President |
| Nov 1974 | Stepped down as President |
| Nov 1974 | Stepped down as President |