Viscount was a Japanese physicist and business executive. He was the third director of the Riken Institute, a position which he assumed in 1921 and held for 25 years. During this period, he was notable for establishing the ''Riken Konzern'', a

zaibatsu is a Japanese language, Japanese term referring to industrial and financial vertical integration, vertically integrated business conglomerate (company), conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed control over signi ...

of companies which focused on utilizing Riken's research results to produce commercial products.

Personal life

He was the eldest son of Ōkōchi Masatada, son of

Manabe Akikatsu was the 7th ''daimyō'' of Sabae Domain in Echizen Province under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan.Meyer, Eva Maria. (1999) ''Japans Kaiserhof in der Edo-Zeit'', p. 146 His courtesy title was ''Shimōsa-no-kami'', and his Court rank ...

and adopted son of Matsudaira Masatomo. He married a daughter of his uncle Ōkōchi Nobuhisa, another son of Akikatsu but adopted by

Matsudaira Nobuaki The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the m ...

, with whom he had issue, including Nobuhiro Ōkōchi. His granddaughter through Nobuhiro was actress

Momoko Kōchi (7 March 1932 – 5 November 1998), born , was a Japanese film, stage and television actress. She is best known for her roles in the original ''Godzilla'', playing the character of Emiko Yamane (a role she reprised in ''Godzilla vs. Destoro ...

Ancestry

History

Masatoshi was born in Hamamatsuchō, Minato, Tokyo as a descendant of the Ōkōchi-Matsudaira clan who ruled over the

Ōtaki Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period, located in Kazusa Province (modern-day Chiba Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Ōtaki Castle in what is now the town of Ōtaki, Chiba. History The original Ōtaki Castle w ...

. After graduating from an elementary school affiliated with

Gakushūin The or Peers School (Gakushūin School Corporation), initially known as Gakushūjo, is a Japanese educational institution in Tokyo, originally established to educate the children of Japan's nobility. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2002)"Gakushū-i ...

, he received an education at the First High School, and then enrolled in the

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

. * 1903 – After graduating from college, he became a lecturer. His subsequent visits to Europe were privately financed. * 1911 – After returning to Japan, he was appointed professor at the Tokyo Imperial University. *: During that time, he collaborated with

Torahiko Terada was a Japanese physicist and author who was born in Tokyo. He was a professor at Tokyo Imperial University, a researcher at RIKEN, and worked on a wide range of topics in physics. He was also a professor at the Earthquake Research Institute. As ...

on the experiment involving flying bullets. * 1914 – He received a

Doctor of Engineering The Doctor of Engineering, or Engineering Doctorate, (abbreviated DEng, EngD, or Dr-Ing) is a degree awarded on the basis of advanced study and a practical project in the engineering and applied science for solving problems in the industry. In the ...

. * February 27, 1915 – He was elected as Viscount in the House of Peers. * 1918 – He served as parliamentary vice-minister of the

Ministry of the Navy of Japan The was a Cabinet (government), cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). It existed from 1872 to 1945. History The Navy Ministry was created in April 1872, along ...

under

Hara Takashi was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 to 1921. Hara held several minor ambassadorial roles before rising through the ranks of the Rikken Seiyūkai and being elected to the House of Representatives. Har ...

. * September 30, 1921 – Under the recommendation of the president of the University of Tokyo,

Yamakawa Kenjirō was a Japanese samurai, politician, physicist, academic administrator, and author of several histories of the Boshin War. He served as president of Tokyo Imperial University, Kyushu Imperial University, and Kyoto Imperial University. He also s ...

, he was elevated to his position as director of Riken. *: There, he introduced the laboratory system to bring freedom to senior researchers at Riken, further advancing the commercialization of research results, making Riken an international research institute. * 1925 – He resigned his position as professor at the University of Tokyo to devote to his position as director of Riken. * 1927 – For the purpose of commercializing research results on Kogyo Co, Ltd., Riken started production of the first practical use

piston ring A piston ring is a metallic split ring that is attached to the outer diameter of a piston in an internal combustion engine or steam engine. The main functions of piston rings in engines are: # Sealing the combustion chamber so that there is mini ...

in Japan. *: Seventy-six companies merged into the ''Riken Konzern'', causing Riken to account for the leadership of this zaibatsu. * April 1, 1930 – He was ordained into the

Japanese honors system The Japanese honours system is a system implemented for rewarding awards to Japanese and non-Japanese persons for their achievements and service to Japan. Established during the 1870s shortly after the Meiji Restoration, it was modelled on ...

, and he was bestowed upon the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

. * July 19, 1930 – He resigned as a member of the House of Peers. * April 2, 1934 – He was appointed as the fourth head of Tokyo's physical school (now superseded by the

Tokyo University of Science , formerly "Science University of Tokyo" or TUS, informally or simply is a private research university located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. History Tokyo University of Science was founded in 1881 as The Tokyo Academy of Physics by 21 graduates ...

). * May 1936 – He was appointed as president of Tokyo's physical school. * September 1937 – He resigned as president of Tokyo's physical school. * February 10, 1938 – He was elected as Viscount in the House of Peers in a representative election. * 1943 – He was appointed as an adviser of Tojo's cabinet. * December 6, 1945 – He was charged for war crimes as a Class A war criminal suspect. * December 13, 1945 – He was detained in

Sugamo Prison Sugamo Prison (''Sugamo Kōchi-sho'', Kyūjitai: , Shinjitai: ) was a prison in Tokyo, Japan. It was located in the district of Ikebukuro, which is now part of the Toshima ward of Tokyo, Japan. History Sugamo Prison was originally built in 1 ...

. * December 25, 1945 – He resigned as principal of Tokyo's physical school. * April 1946 – He was released from custody. * April 7, 1946 – He resigned as a member of the House of Peers for the last time. * October 1946 – He resigned as the director of Riken. *: Until his resignation, he supported the researchers' studies in a wide range of fields in the royalties of Riken's companies. *: Also, one year after the resignation, he was

purged In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another organization, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertak ...

from running for public office.Okochi, Masatoshi
Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures. National Diet Library, 2013. Retrieved January 2016. * August 6, 1951 – His purge from office has been softened. * August 29, 1952 – He died from a

cerebral infarction A cerebral infarction is the pathologic process that results in an area of necrotic tissue in the brain (cerebral infarct). It is caused by disrupted blood supply ( ischemia) and restricted oxygen supply ( hypoxia), most commonly due to thromboemb ...

at the age of 73. Before his death, he was bestowed upon the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

. *: His grave is located at

Heirin-ji is a Rinzai temple of the Myoshin-ji branch located in Niiza city, Saitama prefecture, Japan, a city just outside Tokyo. History The temple was founded in Iwatsuki, Saitama in 1375 by Sekishitsu Zenkyū, who had served as the Abbot of Engak ...

Niiza, Saitama is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 166,208 in 76,639 households and a population density of 7300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Niiza is located at the southernmost tip o ...

References

External links

– Information about the history of RIKEN {{DEFAULTSORT:Okochi, Masatoshi 1878 births 1952 deaths Japanese businesspeople Japanese physicists Kazoku Ōkōchi clan Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure Riken personnel University of Tokyo alumni University of Tokyo faculty

Personal life

Ancestry

History

See also

References

External links