Masaharu Matsushita facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Masaharu Matsushita
松下正治 |
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| Born | September 17, 1912 |
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| Died | July 16, 2012 (aged 99) Osaka, Japan
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| Alma mater | University of Tokyo | ||||
| Occupation | Businessman, business executive | ||||
| Known for | 2nd President of Panasonic | ||||
| Spouse(s) | Sachiko Matsushita | ||||
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| Relatives | Konosuke Matsushita（father-in-law） | ||||
| Family | Hirata Tosuke (grandfather) Maeda Toshisada (uncle) Mitsui Takakimi 11th head of the Mitsui family (uncle) Yamagata Isaburō (great-uncle) Yamagata Aritomo (great-great-uncle) |
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| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 松下 正治 | ||||
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Sir Masaharu Matsushita (born September 17, 1912 – died July 16, 2012) was an important Japanese businessman. He was the second President of Panasonic, a famous electronics company. He led Panasonic for sixteen years, starting in 1961. Masaharu Matsushita was the son-in-law of Panasonic's founder, Konosuke Matsushita. He is known for helping Panasonic become a huge global brand during a time when Japan's economy was growing very fast.
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Biography
Masaharu Matsushita was born with the name Masaharu Hirata. He was the second son of Eiji Hirata, who was a painter and a professor. Masaharu first studied law at the University of Tokyo. Before joining Panasonic, he worked at Mitsui Bank.
In April 1940, he married Sachiko Matsushita. She was the daughter of Panasonic's founder, Konosuke Matsushita. After marrying, Masaharu was adopted into her family and took their last name, Matsushita. He started working for his father-in-law at Panasonic the very next month.
Leading Panasonic to Global Success
Masaharu Matsushita is famous for helping Panasonic become a worldwide electronics brand. He took over as President of Panasonic in 1961, becoming the company's second leader.
Under his leadership, Panasonic kept its special way of running the company. This way of thinking, called a management philosophy, focused on teamwork. It also promoted the idea that bosses and employees were equal. For example, high-ranking managers would do tasks like cleaning bathrooms alongside their employees. This company philosophy was admired and copied by many other businesses in Japan.
Masaharu Matsushita was the president of Panasonic for sixteen years. During this time, Japan's economy grew a lot, and Panasonic became well-known around the world. In 1977, Toshihiko Yamashita took over as president.
Awards and Recognition
Masaharu Matsushita received several important awards. In 1984, he was given the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure. This is a high honor in Japan. In 1997, he was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by the United Kingdom.
Later Life and Legacy
Masaharu Matsushita passed away on July 16, 2012, at the age of 99. He died at the Matsushita Memorial Hospital in Osaka, Japan. This hospital was founded by his father-in-law.
He was survived by his wife, Sachiko, and their two sons. One son, Masayuki Matsushita, became a vice-chairman at Panasonic. His other son, Hiro Matsushita, was a race car driver. Hiro also owns Swift Engineering, a company that builds aerospace parts in California. In 2018, Swift Engineering started a new company called Swift Xi in Kobe, Japan.
Fumio Ōtsubo, who was the chairman of Panasonic at the time, spoke about Masaharu Matsushita. He said, "I honor from the bottom of my heart his achievements in steering our company toward momentous growth." This means he greatly respected Masaharu's work in guiding Panasonic to become so successful.
Honour
Foreign honour
Malaysia : Honorary Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (P.S.M.) (1993)
