Konosuke Matsushita: Panasonic Founder and Business Visionary

Konosuke Matsushita Biography Summary

Profile

Origins

He was born in 1894 in Wasamura, a village that is now part of Wakayama City. He was the youngest child in a large family, and his early life included both stability and sudden change.

His father, Masakusu, was originally a landowner, but the family’s finances collapsed after a failed attempt to profit from rice trading. That loss pushed the household into a far harder reality than the one he was born into.

Deaths in the family followed while he was still young. His father died in 1906, and his mother, Tokue, died in 1913, leaving him to build a life without the family structure he began with.

• Born in Wasamura (now Wakayama City) on November 27, 1894.
• Family finances fell after a failed rice trading venture.
• Father (Masakusu) died in 1906; mother (Tokue) died in 1913.

Education and Formative Influences

His schooling did not follow a standard path. He attended Ono Elementary School, but left early, and his education continued in fragments while he worked.

At age nine, he went to Osaka to begin apprenticeships. He worked first at a hibachi charcoal store and later at a bicycle shop, learning basic trade discipline and how everyday goods moved through a city economy.

As a teenager, he joined Osaka Electric Light Company in 1910. That job put him close to the spread of electricity itself, and it gave him firsthand contact with wiring work and the devices that made modern lighting possible.

• Left elementary school early; later took night courses at Kansai Commercial and Industrial School, completing the four-year course in 1917.
• Apprenticed in Osaka starting around age nine.
• Joined Osaka Electric Light Company in 1910 and advanced within the firm.

Early Growth

By 1917, he was working as an electrical inspector. In that role, he noticed problems in common wiring parts and began creating an improved light socket in his spare time.

He tried to interest his workplace in the design, but it did not move forward there. That rejection became a turning point, because he chose to leave the security of a stable job and attempt manufacturing on his own.

In 1918, he founded Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works in Osaka. The early operation was small, supported closely by his wife, Mumeno, and her brother Toshio Iue, and focused on practical parts like attachment plugs and sockets.

• Developed an improved light socket while employed at Osaka Electric Light Company.
• Founded Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works on March 7, 1918, in Osaka.
• Early products included attachment plugs, two-way sockets, and related electrical parts.

Breakthrough

The early years were unstable, and the company needed a product that could break into mass demand. That breakthrough came in 1923 with a battery-powered bicycle lamp that was built to last far longer than common lamps of the time.

He did not rely only on wholesalers to build the market. He and the company demonstrated the lamp directly to bicycle dealers, proving performance and building trust one shop at a time.

The bicycle lamp helped shift the company from a small parts maker to a broader consumer product business. In 1927, the company established the “National” brand, signaling a push toward wider recognition and broader household sales.

• 1923: Developed a battery-powered bicycle lamp designed to run far longer than typical lamps then in use.
• Built demand through direct dealer demonstrations, not only through wholesale channels.
• 1927: Established the “National” brand as part of its growth strategy.

Challenges

Big growth did not erase risk. In 1929, as economic shock spread, he faced the same question many employers faced: cut people, or find another way to survive.

He chose a path that became one of his best-known management decisions. Rather than dismiss large numbers of workers, the company reduced production and shortened work hours while maintaining full pay, using the time for training and sales efforts.

The later wartime and immediate postwar period brought a different kind of pressure. After World War II, the company was designated a “restricted concern,” and there was a real threat that he could be removed from leadership during the occupation-era restructuring.

• 1929: Set out a company creed and moved toward stronger organizational structure.
• During economic crisis, reduced production and hours while maintaining wages, and focused on training and sales building.
• Postwar period: faced “restricted concern” designation and serious leadership risk under occupation-era policies.

Reinvention

In the postwar years, the company had to rebuild financially and strategically. Internal reforms were paired with a shift in outward vision, including a stronger focus on international technology and markets.

In 1952, he signed a technical cooperation agreement with Philips. The arrangement mattered not only for technology access, but also because it reflected how he wanted the company to be treated: as a partner with its own management strength, not simply a recipient of foreign know-how.

In 1961, he stepped down as president, and his son-in-law Masaharu Matsushita became the new president. The transition was framed as a deliberate move to hand leadership to a younger generation while he continued in senior advisory roles.

• 1952: Signed a technical cooperation agreement with Philips.
• 1951: Made his first overseas visit to the United States as part of a widening global outlook.
• 1961: Resigned as president; Masaharu Matsushita became president.

Where It Stands

His later years were not only about corporate leadership. They were also about building institutions that reflected the public side of his thinking.

In 1946, he founded the PHP Institute, an organization created to study and encourage balance between material progress and spiritual growth. The institute published work connected to his ideas and supported broader discussion of social direction after the war.

In 1979, he established the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management (MIGM), designed to develop future leaders. That move showed a final-stage pivot: using personal influence and resources to shape public leadership, not only products.

• 1946: Founded the PHP Institute (PHP began publishing soon after).
• 1979: Established the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management (MIGM).
• Supported major civic and educational efforts later in life, including work tied to science and technology recognition through Japan Prize-related foundations.

Ideas and Philosophy

He did not treat “mission” as a slogan. In 1932, he publicly proclaimed what he called the true mission of industrialists, linking business success to broader social well-being.

One of his most repeated images was simple: if the purpose of industry is to relieve hardship, goods should become as easy to obtain as water. That “tap water” idea became a shorthand for mass availability and social benefit.

His philosophy also showed up in structure. In 1933, he instituted a “division system,” a major organizational change that helped the company expand product lines while keeping responsibility clearer inside the business.

• 1932: Public declaration of a mission framework for industry, tied to social improvement.
• “Tap water” metaphor used to describe abundance and accessibility of goods.
• 1933: Instituted a “division system” to support scale and broader product expansion.

Public Reputation and Legacy

By the early 1960s, his influence reached far beyond Japan’s factory floors. In 1962, Time ran a cover story on him, reflecting global interest in how Japanese industry was being built and led.

He also received formal recognition from major institutions. Waseda University listed him as an honorary doctorate recipient in 1965, reflecting a public reputation that extended into education and civic life.

His legacy can be seen in two tracks that continue to be discussed together: the corporate trajectory of the Panasonic Group, and a body of public management ideas preserved and published through dedicated institutions.

• 1962: Time cover story highlights international attention.
• 1965: Honorary doctorate recognition listed by Waseda University records.
• Long-term legacy includes both corporate building and enduring management philosophy work.

Controversies and Disputes

Most disputes linked to his career center on survival under historic pressure, not personal scandal. The postwar “restricted concern” designation placed the company and its leadership under scrutiny during occupation-era reforms.

The risk was real enough that employees organized a large signature petition, which became part of the public record around the effort to keep him from being removed. The episode is often cited as a sign of the company’s internal loyalty during a time of national restructuring.

Beyond that period, the most consequential tensions documented in public sources tend to relate to hard financial and labor realities in rebuilding years, when the company faced serious debt and had to make difficult organizational choices.

Timeline

This timeline highlights key moments that shaped his life and the company’s direction. Each entry reflects a documented event, focusing on what changed and why it mattered.

The story begins with early hardship and skilled work, then moves through invention, company building, war-era strain, postwar rebuilding, global partnerships, leadership transition, and later-life civic work.

To keep it clean and easy to scan, the timeline shows years only.

1894

Born in Wasamura (now part of Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan).

1904

Leaves school early and begins apprenticeship work in Osaka.

1910

Joins Osaka Electric Light Company.

1915

Marries Mumeno Iue.

1917

Leaves Osaka Electric Light Company after developing an improved socket design.

1918

Founds Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works in Osaka.

1923

Develops a long-lasting battery-powered bicycle lamp and expands production.

1927

Establishes the “National” brand and advances broader household product identity.

1929

Sets out a company creed and makes major operational decisions during economic shock.

1932

Proclaims the “true mission of industrialists” and holds a first Foundation Day ceremony.

1933

Institutes the “division system” and expands product development structure.

1934

Establishes a staff training institution as part of capability building.

1946

Founds the PHP Institute and faces postwar “restricted concern” designation pressures.

1951

Makes first overseas trip to the United States as the company turns outward again.

1952

Signs technical cooperation agreement with Philips.

1961

Resigns as president; Masaharu Matsushita becomes president.

1962

Time runs a cover story on him.

1965

Listed by Waseda University among honorary doctorate recipients.

1979

Establishes the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management (MIGM).

1983

Japan Prize-related foundation work supports the launch of a major international science and technology award.

1989

Dies on April 27 at age 94.

FAQs

People often search his life story for a simple reason: it connects invention, business building, and public ideas about what industry is for. These FAQs focus on clear, documented points.

If a detail is not firmly supported in the sources used here, the answer says so directly.

Question: Who was Konosuke Matsushita?
Answer: He was a Japanese industrialist who founded the company that grew into the Panasonic Group. He is also known for widely discussed ideas about business mission and management.

Question: When and where was he born?
Answer: He was born on November 27, 1894 in Wasamura, which is now part of Wakayama City in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.

Question: When did he die, and what was the cause?
Answer: He died on April 27, 1989. Public biographical records describe pneumonia as the cause.

Question: What company did he found?
Answer: He founded Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works in 1918 in Osaka. The company later became Matsushita Electric Industrial and is tied to the Panasonic Group brand history.

Question: What was his first major product success?
Answer: One major early breakthrough was a battery-powered bicycle lamp introduced in the 1920s. It was designed to last far longer than common bicycle lamps of that era.

Question: How did he get started in electrical work?
Answer: After apprenticeships in Osaka, he joined Osaka Electric Light Company in 1910. He later worked as an electrical inspector, which exposed him to wiring parts and practical device problems.

Question: Did he have a formal college education?
Answer: Not reliably documented. Records show he left elementary school early and later took night courses, but he did not follow a standard university path.

Question: Who was his wife?
Answer: He married Mumeno Iue in 1915. She is documented as being closely involved in the early support system around the small founding team.

Question: Did he have children?
Answer: He had at least one daughter, since his successor as president is documented as his son-in-law. Beyond that, Not reliably documented.

Question: What is the “tap water” idea linked to him?
Answer: It is a metaphor he used in connection with a public mission statement about industry. The idea ties mass availability of goods to the reduction of hardship, comparing abundance to water from a tap.

Question: What was the “division system” he introduced?
Answer: In 1933, he instituted a company structure described as a “division system.” It is presented as a major organizational step that supported expansion across multiple product lines.

Question: How did he respond to economic crisis in 1929?
Answer: Documented accounts describe the company cutting production and reducing work hours while maintaining wages, using time for training and sales development. It is one of the best-known examples of his management choices under pressure.

Question: What happened to the company after World War II?
Answer: The company faced occupation-era scrutiny and was designated a “restricted concern.” A large employee signature petition is documented as part of efforts that helped prevent his removal from leadership.

Question: What was the Philips agreement in 1952?
Answer: He signed a technical cooperation agreement with Philips in 1952. The event is described as a major partnership step during the company’s postwar rebuilding and modernization efforts.

Question: When did he step down as president?
Answer: He resigned as president in 1961. Masaharu Matsushita, documented as his son-in-law, became president.

Question: Why is he connected to the PHP Institute?
Answer: He founded the PHP Institute in 1946. The organization describes its purpose as research and publication work tied to balancing material progress with spiritual growth.

Question: What is the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management (MIGM)?
Answer: It is an educational foundation established in 1979 by him. The institute describes its role as developing future leaders in public life.

Question: What is his connection to the Japan Prize?
Answer: Japan Prize materials describe the award as created through foundation work and private donations, including support from him. Foundation publications also describe him as an early president figure in related organizational history.

Question: Was he recognized internationally during his lifetime?
Answer: Yes. Time ran a cover story on him in 1962, and other records show international attention to his leadership and the company’s expansion.

Quotes From Konosuke Matsushita

“One must be cautious of tempting offers that may not derive from the best of intentions.” ~ Konosuke Matsushita

“Private enterprise is ultimately a public endeavor.” ~ Konosuke Matsushita

“It is during the bad times that the skilled manager lays firm foundations for future growth.” ~ Konosuke Matsushita

“A business is only as good as the people in it. Even a promising business will flounder if it is not well-managed.” ~ Konosuke Matsushita

“I believe a manufacturer’s most important responsibility to the customer is to make defect-free products.” ~ Konosuke Matsushita

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Panasonic Holdings, Panasonic Newsroom, Konosuke Matsushita Official Website, PHP Institute, Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, Matsushita Memorial Library, The Japan Prize Foundation