Toshiwo Doko (土光敏夫 ''Dokō Toshio''; September 15, 1896 – August 4, 1988) was a Japanese

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

born in Mitsu District, Okayama, Manager, President and Chairman of Ishikawajima Heavy Industry (IHI) and

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, ...

Background

Dokō was a key manager in the

Japanese economic miracle The Japanese economic miracle refers to Japan's record period of economic growth between the post-World War II era and the end of the Cold War. During the economic boom, Japan rapidly became the world's second-largest economy (after the Unit ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, in particular, from 1974 to 1980 when he helmed the Toshiba Corporation and was appointed chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren). After graduating from Tokyo Institute of Technology (or Tokyo Kogyo Daigaku) in 1920, Dokō worked at the Ishikawajima Shipyard Co., first as a designer of

turbines A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful Work (physics), work. The work produced by a turbine can be used ...

and then became a president from 1950 to 1960, during which he renewed the company to benefit from significant procurement provided by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. Dokō later chaired the Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. during the merger in 1960, overseeing the construction of the Idemitsu Maru, the largest tanker in the world. At Toshiba, he functioned as a vice president between 1965 and 1972, and became the president between 1972 and 1976. He raised the morale of the workers driving the company towards prosperity. During 1970's, he had a relationship with a company such as Standard Oil. When belonging to IHI, he had never been late and absent from the company for 40 years, continuously. Surprisingly, his breakfast had been very simple, and consisted of a piece of fish, rice and miso soup. Even though he became the top position of IHI and very rich, his lifestyle and breakfast had not changed at all. Despite the simple breakfast, his hardworking attitude was not changed even when he turned to 85 year old. In addition, he rarely used air-conditioner during Winter and Summer, and he donated more than half of his salary, during 1970's, for the school that his mother had established in Yokohama. No one can criticize his behavior for this emerging global warming. In 1988, he posthumously received the highest distinction of the

Scout Association of Japan , headquarters = Hongō, Bunkyō, Tokyo , country = Japan , f-date = 1922 , members = 109,528 (2017) , website = http://www.scout.or.jp , affiliation = World Organization of the Scout Movement , pattern_head1 = baseball cap , color_hea ...

, the

Golden Pheasant Award The is the highest award for adult leaders in the Scout Association of Japan. It is awarded by the Chief Scout of Japan, awarded for eminent achievement and meritorious service to the Association for a period of at least twenty years. It may be ...

References

External links

New York Times Obituary - Toshiwo Doko Is Dead; Industry Chief Was 91
1896 births 1988 deaths People from Okayama 20th-century Japanese engineers Toshiba people Tokyo Institute of Technology alumni {{japan-engineer-stub