Casio Computer Co-Founder, Chairman Dies at 89

June 19, 2018

Tokyo- Casio Computer Co. Chairman Kazuo Kashio, one of the four brothers who founded the company, died of aspiration pneumonia on Monday. He was 89.

He served as president of the consumer electronics maker for over a quarter of a century, from December 1988 to June 2015. Kazuhiro Kashio, the firm's current president, is Kazuo's eldest son.

He founded the company in 1957, together with his late older brothers, Tadao and Toshio, and his younger brother, Yukio, who is special adviser to Casio.

Kazuo spent his whole career in sales, placing the most importance on product development based on his experience.

He took part in the project to create the Casio Mini, the world's first personal calculator, released in 1972. The product spurred the spread of calculators, which had been mainly used in companies as office equipment, among ordinary households.

Kazuo was also among the first businesspeople to focus on plastic wristwatches. His attention led to the development of the G-Shock series, which became a huge hit in the United States and Japan.

"Product development is the essential operation of a maker," Kazuo was often heard saying.

His other trademark phrases include "a person who doesn't know the firm's products can't lead Casio."

He initiated important product development even after taking up the post of president.

Kazuo continued to stick to creating new markets and coming up with original product concepts. Among the key results of such efforts was the QV-10 in 1995, which paved the way for the spread of digital cameras.

He played a major role in raising Casio to a top brand maker in precision equipment. Jiji Press