Kanichi Nishimoto
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He never worked for an employer and built his own business, a path that took him from running a photo studio to making and selling machines. His starting point was Hokoku Photo Studio, which he opened as a sole proprietor in Wakayama City in April 1943. In 1951 he invented an automatic photographic print washer that automated the washing of developed and fixed photographic paper, and from there went on to create a succession of photo processing machines, setting up Noritsu Koki Seisakusho Ltd. as a limited company in June 1956. As of the fiscal year ended March 2006, the largest shareholder, holding 41.5% of shares outstanding, was Nishimoto Kosan.
Selection
As the first President, he had no predecessor. In November 1961 the limited company Noritsu Koki Seisakusho that he had founded was reorganized into Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd., a joint-stock company with capital of ¥3 million. This came 18 years after he opened the photo studio in 1943 and five years after the limited company was established. In the same month the company began selling the RF-20E automatic black-and-white film processor for central photo labs, followed in July 1964 by the RF-C1 for color film. Both at a lecture in March 1996 and at the time of the listing on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in November 1997, Nishimoto was Representative Director and President.
Initiatives
In June 1976 the company developed the QSS-1 minilab, which completed everything from film developing to finished color prints in the store within 45 minutes. In March 1979 it completed the computer-equipped QSS-2, automating color control. Starting with NAC Corporation in the United States in December 1978, it set up sales subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, Brazil, Singapore, France and Australia and sold directly without going through agents. In early 1996 its share of the minilab market was 47.5% in Japan and 50.2% overseas excluding Japan, and it had 16 sales subsidiaries. It listed on the Second Section of the Osaka Securities Exchange in February 1996 and on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in November 1997.
Career
Career
Hokoku Photo Studio
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1943 | Founded Wakayama |
| Jun 1951 | 写真印画自動水洗機を発明 (translation pending) |
Noritsu Optical Works
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jun 1956 | Founded |
Noritsu Koki
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Nov 1961 | Reorganized as Noritsu Optical Works as Representative Director, President |
| Aug 2005 | Died in office |
| Aug 2005 | Stepped down as President |