Shoichiro Kobayashi
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1922, he graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Tokyo in 1946. He became general manager of the Sales Department in May 1965, deputy general manager in May 1966 and general manager in May 1968, then a Director in May 1970, Managing Director in May 1972, Senior Managing Director in May 1974 and Executive Vice President in May 1975. Coming from sales through head office general manager posts, he rose from Director to Executive Vice President in five years.
Selection
In June 1977 he succeeded Toshio Morioka as President, two years after becoming Executive Vice President and seven after joining the board; in the same month Executive Vice President Hisashi Ishiguro moved to Vice Chairman. Born in 1922, Kobayashi was a generation younger than Yoshishige Ashihara, born in 1901 and still Chairman, and Morioka, born in 1909. In the fiscal year ended March 1978, revenue was ¥1,087.9 billion and ordinary profit ¥86.3 billion.
Initiatives
In April 1979, under measures taken by the Nuclear Safety Commission after the Three Mile Island accident, the company shut down Unit 1 of the Ohi Power Station (1,175,000 kW), restarting it in June. In June that same year the Himeji LNG facility entered commercial operation. With the second oil crisis, the company fell to an ordinary loss of ¥31.1 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1980. In July 1984 it asked Rokkasho Village in Aomori Prefecture to host three nuclear fuel cycle facilities, obtaining a statement of acceptance in April of the following year. Ordinary profit recovered to ¥161.4 billion in the FY ended March 1985, and in November that year he moved to Chairman.
Career
Career
Kansai Electric Power
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jun 1977 | President |
| Nov 1985 | Chairman |
| Nov 1985 | Stepped down as President |