Taiichiro Matsuo
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
After graduating from the Faculty of Economics at Tokyo Imperial University in 1934 he joined the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and in 1956 served as Director-General of the International Trade Bureau of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. He joined Marubeni-Iida in 1960, became Managing Director in 1961, Senior Managing Director in 1964 and Executive Vice President in 1966. Whereas Shinobu Ichikawa and Hiro Hiyama had both risen within the company, Matsuo came over from the government.
Selection
In May 1975 he succeeded Hiro Hiyama as President, with Hiyama becoming Chairman. In the fiscal year ended March 1975, the year before he took office, revenue was ¥5,556.5 billion and ordinary income ¥16.7 billion, down from ¥28.9 billion the previous year. As criticism of trading companies' speculative practices intensified, the post went to a former bureaucrat who had headed MITI's International Trade Bureau and served nine years as Executive Vice President.
Initiatives
In 1976 Marubeni was at the center of the Lockheed scandal over bribery in aircraft purchases. Hisashi Tsuda, then Executive Vice President, left a written account of the turmoil among employees and the swings of public opinion during the scandal. As of December 1979 the company's crude oil volume was only a third of Mitsubishi Corporation's and half of C. Itoh's. Revenue grew from ¥5,762.5 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1976 to ¥10,184.5 billion in the FY ended March 1981.
Career
Career
Ministry of Commerce and Industry / Ministry of International Trade and Industry
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1934 | 東京帝国大学経済学部を卒業し商工省に入省 (translation pending) |
| 1956 | Director-General, Ministry of International Trade and Industry Tsusho |
Marubeni
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Joined Marubeni Iida |
| 1961 | Managing Officer |
| 1964 | Senior Managing Officer |
| 1966 | Executive Vice President |
| May 1975 | President |
| Jun 1981 | Chairman |
| Jun 1981 | Stepped down as President |