The career of Akio Morita, who enjoyed living a free and generous life even among the difficulties he faced in pursuing his dream of evolving a small, back-street factory into the world-famous Sony
| Year | Age | Month | Chronology of Events |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 0 | Jan 26 | Born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture - the eldest son of Kyuzaemon (father) and Shu (mother); the Morita family has carried on the tradition of making sake for nealy 400 years with Akio Morita representing the 15th generation |
| 1933 | 12 | Mar | Graduates from Aichi Prefecture First Public Junior High School |
| 1938 | 17 | Mar | Graduates from Aichi Prefecture First Public Elementary School |
| 1942 | 21 | Mar | Graduates from the science department of the Eighth Higher School |
| Apr | Enters Osaka Imperial University, Department of Physics | ||
| 1944 | 23 | Jan | Enters the Navy as a student assigned to the university - allowing him to continue his studies during the War |
| Sep | Graduates from Osaka Imperial University, Department of Physics | ||
| 1945 | 24 | Mar | Akio is commissioned as a Navy technical lieutenant, working as a technician in avionic research at the Yokosuka Naval Base |
| Akio meets Mr. Masaru Ibuka (Sony Founder and former Sony Chairman). At the time, Mr.Ibuka is the Managing Director of Japan Measuring Instruments Company. They meet at a Wartime Research Committee meeting | |||
| Oct | <Mr.Ibuka establishes Tokyo Tsuhin Kenkyujyo (Tokyo Telecommuniccations Research Institute) in the Shirokiya Department Store building (now Tokyu Department store), Nihombashi, Tokyo> | ||
| Akio and Mr.Ibuka resume contact after Akio came across the "Blue Pencil" column in the newspaper "Asahi Shimbun" where he discovers Mr. Ibuka had founded his own company | |||
| 1946 | 25 | May | After completing restructuring, Mr.Ibuka and Akio found Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K. or Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation (the predecessor to Sony Corporation) with 190,000 yen in capital. Akio is appointed as a Director |
| 1947 | 26 | Jan | < Moves headquarters and factory to Shinagawa, Tokyo > |
| May | Appointed as Managing Director | ||
| 1950 | 29 | Jul | < Launches Japan's first tape recorder, the "G-type"> |
| Nov | Appointed as Senior Managing Director | ||
| 1951 | 30 | May | Marries Yoshiko Kamei, 4th daughter of Toyoharu (President of Sanseido) and Tama Kamei. |
| 1952 | 31 | Feb | The eldest son Hideo is born |
| 1953 | 32 | Aug | First business trip overseas. During the three months spent traveling in Europe and the United States, he tours Philips Corporation of the Netherlands and decides to expand the company overseas |
| 1954 | 33 | Sep | The second son Masao is born |
| 1955 | 34 | Aug | < Launches Japan's first transistor radio（the TR-55）> |
| 1957 | 36 | Feb | The eldest daughter Naoko is born |
| Mar | < Launches the world's smallest portable transistor radio, TR-63. The first model is designed for export> | ||
| 1958 | 37 | Jan | < Company name officially changes to Sony Corporation > |
| Dec | < Sony Corporation listed on the TSE> | ||
| 1959 | 38 | Dec | Appointed as Executive Vice President |
| 1960 | 39 | Feb | Sony Corporation of America is established; appointed as President |
| May | < Launches world's first transistor TV（the TV8-301）> | ||
| Dec | Establishes Sony Overseas S.A. in Zug, Switzerland; appointed as President | ||
| 1961 | 40 | Jun | < Sony becomes the first Japanese company to offer shares in the United States in the form of American Depository Receipts (ADR), on the OTC market of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) > |
| 1962 | 41 | Oct | < Sony opens a showroom on New York's Fifth Avenue > |
| 1963 | 42 | Jun | Moves to the United States with family |
| Jul | < Launches the world's first compact transistor VTR (the PV-100) > | ||
| 1964 | 43 | Jul | Kyuzaemon Morita (Akio's father) passes away |
| 1965 | 44 | Mar | < Establishes Sony / Tektronix Corporation, a joint venture (50% Sony capital) with Tektronix Inc. of the United States > |
| Aug | < Launches the world's first home-use open-reel VTR (the CV-2000) > | ||
| 1966 | 45 | Apr | < Sony Building in Tokyo's Ginza District is completed > |
| 1968 | 47 | Mar | < Establishes CBS/Sony Records, a joint venture (50% Sony capital) with CBS Inc. of the United States (becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony in January of 1988, and is renamed Sony Music Entertainment Inc. in April 1991); appointed as President) > |
| May | < Establishes Sony (UK) Ltd. (reorganized as Sony United Kingdom Ltd. in April 1993) > | ||
| Oct | < Launches the "Trinitron" color TV (the KV-1310) > | ||
| 1969 | 48 | Mar | Appointed to the Advisory Board of Morgan Guaranty Trust |
| 1970 | 49 | Apr | < Sony lights up New York with its Times Square neon sign > |
| Sep | < Shares listed on the NYSE > | ||
| 1971 | 50 | Apr | Appears on the cover of "Time" magazine |
| Jun | Appointed President of Sony Corporation | ||
| 1972 | 51 | Mar | Appointed to the Board of IBM WTC |
| 1973 | 52 | May | < Receives Emmy Award for the development of the Trinitron > |
| 1976 | 55 | Jan | Appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
| 1979 | 58 | Aug | < Establishes Sony Prudential Life Insurance Co. Ltd., a joint venture (50% Sony capial) with the Prudential Insurance Co. of America (renamed Pruco Life Insurance Co, Ltd. in September 1987 and Sony Life Insurance Co. Ltd. in April 1991) > |
| 1980 | 59 | Apr | Appointed Director of Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) |
| 1986 | 65 | May | Appointed Vice Chairman of the Keidanren (resigns in May 1992) |
| 1988 | 67 | Apr | Appointed Chairman of the Council for Better Investment in the United States (renamed the Council for Better Corporate Citizenship) becoming Honorary Chairman from May 1996 |
| Dec | Shu Morita (Akio's mother) passes away | ||
| 1989 | 68 | Nov | < Acquires Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (renamed Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. in August 1991) > |
| 1991 | 70 | Jun | Names an Honorary Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) |
| Oct | Appointed Chairman of the Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (resigned in March 1995) | ||
| 1992 | 71 | Mar | < Establishes Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan), Inc., following acquisitions of Japanese film distributor companies managed by Sony Pictures Entertainment, (US) Inc. > |
| May | Appointed Vice Chairman of the Board of Councilors, Keidanren (resigned in May 1994) | ||
| 1993 | 72 | Jun | Appointed Chairman of Foreign Investment of the Japan Development Corporation (resogned in June 1996) |
| Appointed Chairman of The Japan-US Business Council (resigned in June 1994) | |||
| Nov | < Establishes Sony Computer Entertainment (Japan), Inc. > | ||
| 1994 | 73 | Nov | Appointed Founder and Honorary Chairman of Sony Corporation |
| 1996 | 75 | May | < 50th Anniversary of Sony Corporation > |
| 1998 | 77 | Dec | Chosen by "Time" as one of the twenty most influential business leaders of the 20th Century |
| 1999 | 78 | Oct 3 | Akio passes away from pneumonia |
< >Information in brackets courtesy of Sony Corp
