Viscount was a Japanese physicist and business executive. He was the third director of the
Riken
is a national scientific research institute in Japan. Founded in 1917, it now has about 3,000 scientists on seven campuses across Japan, including the main site at Wakō, Saitama, Wakō, Saitama Prefecture, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Riken is a ...
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 signifi ...
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 and adopted son of
Matsudaira Masatomo. He married a daughter of his uncle
Ōkōchi Nobuhisa, another son of Akikatsu but adopted by
Matsudaira Nobuaki, with whom he had issue, including
Nobuhiro Ōkōchi. His granddaughter through Nobuhiro was actress
Momoko Kōchi.
Ancestry
History
Masatoshi was born in
Hamamatsuchō, Minato, Tokyo as a descendant of the
Ōkōchi-Matsudaira clan who ruled over the
Ōtaki Domain. After graduating from an elementary school affiliated with
Gakushūin, he received an education at the First High School, and then enrolled in the
Tokyo Imperial University
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...
.
* 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 on the experiment involving flying bullets.
* 1914 – He received a
Doctor of Engineering
The Doctor of Engineering (DEng or EngD) or Doctor of Engineering Sciences is a research doctorate in engineering and applied science. An EngD is a terminal degree similar to a PhD in engineering but applicable more in industry rather than in ac ...
.
* 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-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). It existed from 1872 to 1945.
In the IJN and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), the ministries were in charge ...
under
Hara Takashi.
* September 30, 1921 – Under the recommendation of the president of the University of Tokyo,
Yamakawa Kenjirō, 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, and he was bestowed upon the
Order of the Sacred Treasure
The is a Japanese Order (distinction), 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 c ...
.
* 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).
* 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 crime
A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
s 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 23 special wards, ward of Tokyo, Japan.
History
Sugamo Prison was orig ...
.
* 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 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
Cerebral infarction, also known as an ischemic stroke, is the pathologic process that results in an area of necrotic tissue in the brain (cerebral infarct). In mid to high income countries, a stroke is the main reason for disability among peo ...
at the age of 73. Before his death, he was bestowed upon the Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese honors system, 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 feat ...
.
*: His grave is located at Heirin-ji at 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 ...
.
See also
* Ricoh
is a Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company. It was founded by the now-defunct commercial division of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken) known as the ''Riken Concern'', on 6 February 1936 as . Ricoh's hea ...
* Riken
is a national scientific research institute in Japan. Founded in 1917, it now has about 3,000 scientists on seven campuses across Japan, including the main site at Wakō, Saitama, Wakō, Saitama Prefecture, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Riken is a ...
* Ten Japanese Great Inventors
The system of Intellectual property, industrial rights in Japan celebrated 100 years of existence in 1985. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Japanese system of industrial property rights, the Japan Patent Office selected ten great in ...
References
External links
– Information about the history of RIKEN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okochi, Masatoshi
1878 births
1952 deaths
20th-century 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
Academic staff of the University of Tokyo
People from Minato, Tokyo
Physicians from Tokyo