Akio Morita

Akio Morita was a Japanese businessman who co-founded what became Sony Corporation with Masaru Ibuka in 1946, initially as a small electronics repair and manufacturing venture in war-damaged Tokyo. As the company grew into one of the most recognized electronics brands in the world, Morita became particularly known for his role in international marketing and management, championing consumer products such as the transistor radio and the Walkman portable cassette player, and for arguing that Japanese companies needed to understand and adapt to Western business culture even as Sony built a distinctly Japanese engineering identity. He led Sony as chairman for decades and remained one of the most internationally prominent Japanese business figures of the postwar era until a stroke in 1993 forced his retirement; he died in 1999.