Ryuzaburo Kaku
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
After graduating from the Faculty of Economics at Kyushu University in 1954 he joined Canon, becoming General Manager of Accounting in 1968 and also General Manager of Personnel from 1970. He became a Director in August 1972 and Managing Director in August 1974. During this period the company entered plain-paper copiers with the NP System in 1968 and changed its name to Canon Inc. in March 1969.
Selection
The calculator business had lost profitability in the price wars of the 1970s, and as of early 1972 the company's diversification was seen as lacking a decisive edge. In June 1977, after Takeo Maeda died in office, he became President, promoted from Managing Director over the more senior Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director. The challenges facing Canon at the time were whether it could build a full line of office equipment and differentiate itself with high value-added products.
Initiatives
After taking office he openly criticized the laxity of the previous management and introduced a divisional system that made the camera, office equipment and optical businesses each responsible for their own profit and loss. Copier sales topped ¥100 billion in 1982, and in the same year the company launched the compact desktop Mini Copier, opening up the personal market. In October 1981 it succeeded in developing Bubble Jet printing technology. It also expanded production overseas, setting up Oita Canon in February 1982, Canon Virginia in the United States in November 1985 and Canon Opto in Malaysia in December 1988.
Career
Career
Canon
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Joined |
| 1968 | General Manager, Accounting Department |
| 1970 | General Manager, Human Resources Department |
| Aug 1972 | Director |
| Aug 1974 | Managing Director |
| Jun 1977 | Representative Director, President |
| Mar 1989 | Representative Director, Chairman |
| Mar 1989 | Stepped down as President |