Saburo Ouchi
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Fukushima Prefecture in 1903, he graduated from Nagoya Higher Commercial School in 1925 and joined Toho Electric Power. His employer passed to Godo Denki in 1930, Toho Electric Power in 1937 and Shikoku Haiden in 1942, and he became head of the Tokushima Branch in 1947. At the launch of Shikoku Electric Power in 1951 he became a director (riji) and head of the Tokushima Branch, then rose to head of the President's Office in 1955, Director in 1956, Managing Director in 1960 and Executive Vice President in 1963. As a Director he shared responsibility for general affairs, accounting and materials, coming up through administration.
Selection
In November 1966 he succeeded Mochinaga Nakagawa as President, with Nakagawa stepping back to Chairman; Ouchi became President in his 41st year since joining Toho Electric Power. Tsunenori Yamaguchi, who became Executive Vice President on the same day, had joined Iyo Railway Electric in 1936, so the two at the top both came from internal lineages transferred to Shikoku Haiden. He was appointed from administration, having handled general affairs, accounting and materials, a background that contrasted with his predecessor from outside the power industry.
Initiatives
During his tenure the company decided to move into nuclear power. After canceling a construction plan in Tsushima Town in January 1968 because of ground conditions, the assembly of Ikata Town, struggling with depopulation and financial difficulties, voted in 1969 to invite the plant, and in September 1970 the construction site was formally set in Ikata. In thermal power, the Sakaide Power Station entered commercial operation in July 1971 and its Unit 3 (450,000 kW) in April 1973. With the first oil crisis of October 1973, crude oil prices roughly quadrupled in three months, and in the fiscal year ended March 1974 ordinary profit and net income fell even as revenue grew by more than 20%.
Career
Career
Shikoku Electric Power
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1947 | General Manager, Shikoku Electric Distribution Tokushima Branch |
| 1951 | Director, General Manager, Tokushima Branch |
| 1955 | General Manager, President's Office |
| 1956 | Director |
| 1957 | Director, General Manager, General Affairs Department and General Manager, Kochi Branch |
| 1960 | Managing Director |
| 1963 | Executive Vice President |
| Nov 1966 | President |
| May 1974 | Chairman |