Akio Morita

Japanese entrepreneur (1921–1999)

Akio Morita (盛田昭夫, Morita Akio; January 26, 1921 – October 3, 1999) was a Japanese entrepreneur and co-founder of Sony along with Masaru Ibuka.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Akio Morita (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jan 26, 1921, died Oct 3, 1999.¹

Companies

Sony GroupFounder¹⁴
Sony Corporation of AmericaFounder¹⁵

Early life and education

Date not recordedUniversity of Osaka³

Akio Morita was born in Nagoya. Morita's family was involved in sake, miso and soy sauce production in the village of Kosugaya (currently a part of Tokoname City) on the western coast of Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture since 1665. He was the oldest of four siblings and his father Kyuzaemon trained him as a child to take over the family business. Akio, however, found his true calling in mathematics and physics, and in 1944 he graduated from Osaka Imperial University with a degree in physics. He was later commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and served in World War II. During his service, Morita met his future business partner Masaru Ibuka at a study group for developing infrared-guided bombs (Ke-Go) in the Navy's Wartime Research Committee.

From Wikipedia’s article on Akio Morita (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: supervisor, engineer, businessperson, physicist.⁶

Date not recordedFounded Sony Corporation of America⁴
Date not recordedFounded Sony Group⁵

Personal life

BornJan 26, 1921, Nagoya^{7 8}
DiedOct 3, 1999, Saiseikai Central Hospital⁹
CitizenshipEmpire of Japan, Japan¹⁰

Awards

1999Order of the Rising Sun, 1st class¹¹
1998Commander of the Legion of Honour¹¹
1996Saint George's Cross^{11 13}
1994IEEE Founders Medal^{11 12}
1992Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire¹¹
1991Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st Class¹¹
1990Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit¹¹
1987Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany¹¹
1982Albert Medal¹¹
Date not recordedInternational Emmy Directorate Award¹¹

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataAkio Morita on Wikidata
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WikipediaAkio Morita on Wikipedia
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WikidataAkio Morita: education, on Wikidata
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WikidataAkio Morita: Founded Sony Corporation of America, on Wikidata
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WikidataAkio Morita: Founded Sony Group, on Wikidata
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WikidataAkio Morita: occupation, on Wikidata
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WikidataAkio Morita: place of birth, on Wikidata
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Wikidataplace of birth, as reported
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WikidataAkio Morita: place of death, on Wikidata
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WikidataAkio Morita: citizenship, on Wikidata
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WikidataAkio Morita: award, on Wikidata
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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WikidataSony Group, Founder
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WikidataSony Corporation of America, Founder