Dr. Kazuo Inamori

The Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence began in July 2006 as the result of a generous gift from Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder of the Kyocera Corporation and the Inamori Foundation.

Based on his belief that “people have no higher calling than to serve the greater good of humankind and society,” Dr. Inamori helped Case Western Reserve University establish a center that would foster the development of future leaders and nurture international awareness of our common humanity through the study, teaching and practice of ethics.

Dr. Inamori was born in Kagoshima, Japan, in 1932, and graduated from Kagoshima University with a bachelor’s degree in applied chemistry. He started the Kyocera Corporation in 1959 and has been instrumental in the company’s growth as an international supplier of communications and electronic products and services. He codified his beliefs about management and business into the Kyocera philosophy, which espouses the needs to pursue what is right for humankind; to serve the greater good of humankind and society; and to assure the future of humanity through the balance of scientific progress and spiritual maturity.

Based on his principled approach, Dr. Inamori established the Inamori Foundation in 1984 and the Kyoto Prizes, which honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the progress of science, technology, the advancement of civilization, and enrichment and elevation of the human spirit, in 1985. His contributions to business and society have garnered numerous honorary doctorates from around the world, as well as seats with the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Carnegie Institution of Washington Board of Trustees.

For more information of Dr. Inamori, his books, business and philosophies, visit the Inamori Center’s Dr. Kazuo Inamori Biography page.