Yoshisuke Aikawa

Japanese: 鮎川義介 - あいかわよしすけ

Born: November 6, 1880 in Yamaguchi
[Died] February 13, 1967. A Tokyo businessman of the early Showa period, founder of the Nissan Konzern before World War II. His father was the nephew of Inoue Kaoru. After graduating from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tokyo, he joined Shibaura Seisakusho but was dissatisfied, so he went to the United States to work in a foundry, and after returning to Japan, he established the Tobata Foundry Company in 1910, which he succeeded. After World War I, he entered the Japanese financial world, and in 1928 he succeeded his brother-in-law, Kuhara Fusanosuke, as president of Kuhara Mining (renamed Nippon Sangyo the same year), and in 1933 he established the Automobile Manufacturing Company (renamed Nissan Motor in 1934) and became its president. In the same year, Aikawa made Nippon Sangyo into a holding company and formed the Nissan Konzern, which included Hitachi, Nissan Motor, and Nissan Chemical. After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he expanded into Manchuria, and in 1937, he reorganized Nippon Sangyo Co., Ltd. into the Manchurian Heavy Industry Development Co., Ltd., a Manchukuo corporation, and became its president, moving Nissan to Manchuria. In 1943, he was elected as a member of the House of Peers. After the war, he became a member of the House of Councillors, and in 1956, he founded the Small and Medium Enterprise Political League and became its president, but resigned from the Diet when his second son was found guilty of election fraud. His books include "How to Look at Things and Think" (37), "Mangyō Hyakumenso" (40), "Yoshisuke Ayukawa's Vertical and Horizontal Discussion" (53), "My Life Plan" (55), and "A Chest of Flavors" (64).

Yoshisuke Ayukawa

Please see the "Yoshisuke Ayukawa" page.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]1880.11.6. 山口
[没]1967.2.13. 東京
昭和前期の実業家，第2次世界大戦前の日産コンツェルンの創設者。父は井上馨の甥にあたる。東京大学機械工学科を卒業後，芝浦製作所に入社したがあきたらず，渡米して鋳物工場で働き，帰国後 1910年戸畑鋳物会社を設立し成功した。第1次世界大戦後中央財界に進出し，28年義弟久原房之助のあとをうけ社長として久原鉱業 (同年日本産業と改称) を経営，33年自動車製造株式会社を設立 (1934年日産自動車と改称) し，その社長となった。同年鮎川は日本産業を持株会社とし日立製作所，日産自動車，日産化学を擁する日産コンツェルンを形成した。日中戦争勃発後には満州に進出，37年日本産業 (株) を満州国法人満州重工業開発 (株) に改組，その総裁となって，日産を満州に移した。 43年勅選貴族院議員。戦後は参議院議員となり，56年中小企業政治連盟を結成しその総裁となったが，次男の選挙違反問題が起り，議員を辞職した。著書に『物の見方考へ方』 (37) ，『満業百面相』 (40) ，『鮎川義介縦横談』 (53) ，『私の人生設計』 (55) ，『百味箪笥』 (64) がある。