Kazuo Inamori

Born in 1932 in Kagoshima, Japan, Kazuo Inamori founded Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Corporation) with an investment of 3 million Japanese yen. Since 1959, Kyocera has utilized fine ceramics technology to develop various products including semiconductor packages, electronic components and devices, and a wide range of industrial materials and components. Kyocera has grown significantly in the 47 years since it was founded, and has become a world-class enterprise with annual sales of approximately U.S.$11 billion.

In 1983, Dr. Inamori opened the Seiwajuku School for Business Education, in order to train the next generation of entrepreneurs. As founder, he regularly lectures on his philosophy of business and the proper attitudes for a business leader to about 4,200 students in 57 locations throughout Japan and overseas, including in Los Angeles and New York.

In 1984, when Japan’s telecommunications industry was deregulated, Dr. Inamori established DDI Corporation (now KDDI Corporation with annual revenue of approximately U.S.$30 billion), for the purpose of lowering telephone costs for Japanese citizens. Thus, his business expanded from manufacturing to telecommunication services. In the same year, he invested his personal funds to establish the Inamori Foundation and created the Kyoto Prize, a prestigious international award given to those who have made outstanding contributions to the progress of human society in the categories of advanced technology, basic sciences, and arts and philosophy.

In 2003, Dr. Inamori established the Seiwa Social Welfare Association for taking care of abused, neglected, and orphaned children, and the Inamori Social Welfare Foundation for supporting those children in Kyoto Prefecture.