Fushimi-ku, southern Kyoto, Japan. When I entered the 20-story Kyocera headquarters, a rare high-ris..

[Reporting the Inamori Library]
Business philosophy translates it into 14 languages to share globally
Even if the way we work in the era of n
AI changes, the essence of Inamori philosophy does not change

사진 확대 Kazuo Inamori, founder of Inamori, built on the first floor of Inamori Library near the Kyocera headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. [Kyoto correspondent Lee Seunghoon]

Fushimi-ku, southern Kyoto, Japan. When I entered the 20-story Kyocera headquarters, a rare high-rise building in Kyoto, the first thing I noticed was the “fine ceramics hall” that shows Kyocera’s founding to the present day.

Established in 1998, it shows the starting point of Kyocera. The term “fine ceramics” itself was coined by its founder, Kazuo Inamori, in 1973. It is not just industrial ceramic, but a futuristic material that combines high-purity mixing technology with high-tech mixing materials that have removed impurities.

Various ceramic parts could be seen in the exhibition hall. The core properties of ceramics, such as hardness next to diamonds, heat resistance above 1,200 degrees Celsius, and corrosion resistance that does not corrode even with acid and body fluids, were also seen at a glance.

사진 확대 Books by Kazuo Inamori, founder of Kyocera, translated into various languages. [Kyoto correspondent Lee Seunghoon]

Kyocera’s fine ceramic is used in IT device packages, artificial joints, solar cells, deep-sea exploration equipment, and fusion reactor components, said Kayo Inamori Hashira, head of the library. “It has also been applied to the support structure of the Japanese space exploration ship Hayabusa and Subaru Telescope.”

Fine ceramics also have a dark history. During the oil crisis in the 1970s, he made ceramic go stones with the idea of employees. The problem is that it is too hard to commercialize because it damages the board every time it is played.

사진 확대 A ceramic substrate for large-scale computer integrated circuits (ICs) supplied to IBM in the U.S. that led to Kyocera becoming a global component company. [Kyoto correspondent Lee Seunghoon]

Kyocera started in 1959 with 28 employees and a capital of 3 million yen (about 28 million won). The starting product was ceramic insulation parts for TV CRT tubes. It entered the market by localizing parts that were monopolized by Philips in the Netherlands at the time.

The founder of Inamori studied ceramic technology at his previous office, Shofu Industrial, and was able to make a profit from the first year by receiving a delivery promise from Matsushita Electric Industries (now Panasonic) before starting the company.

Kyocera was brought to the global market by winning an order from IBM in 1966 for 25 million ceramic boards for large computer integrated circuits. It was the moment when a company that was at the level of a subcontractor in Japan was incorporated into the global supply chain.

사진 확대 Kayo Inamori Hashira, director of the library, explains the management philosophy of Kazuo Inamori, founder of Kyocera. [Kyoto correspondent Lee Seunghoon]

Next to the Kyocera headquarters, there is also the Inamori Library, which opened in 2013. There are 20,000 to 30,000 visitors a year, especially Chinese visitors and Korean school trip groups frequently visit.

It consists of five floors, and the most impressive place is the reproduction space of the office on the fifth floor. The office of founder Inamori, which was located on the 19th floor of the headquarters, has been moved. The desk, filing cabinet, and notepad location are the same.

Founder Inamori died in 2022. Even after his death, the management philosophy he left behind is steadily inherited. Employees read the Kyocera Philosophy Notebook, which summarizes Inamori philosophy, at meetings and inquiry times every day.

사진 확대 Inamori Oval Office Reproduction Space on the 5th floor of Inamori Library. You can see photos of the start-up, photos taken with 28 members in the early days of the start-up, the letters “Gyeongcheon Lovers,” which are the basis of his management philosophy, and working at a conference table. [Kyoto correspondent Lee Seunghoon]

“It is my daily routine to read a sentence and discuss how to apply it to my work,” Hashira said. “It has been translated into 14 languages, including Korean, and is currently being used in workplaces around the world.”

This could be a hint for Korean managers who are curious about how to convey the ideas of their founders to the next generation. The answer is to document, repeat, and melt into everyday life.

사진 확대 Kyocera Philosophy Handbook Translated into 14 Languages, including Korean [Kyoto correspondent Lee Seung-hoon]

Will Inamori’s management philosophy work even in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Director Hashira emphasized, “The essence does not change.”

“As a human being, the fundamentals of making correct judgments, placing importance on ethics, and actively challenging them are the same even if times change,” he said, adding, “However, the way you work can be different, and it is the role of a leader to understand the change and how to convey it.”

사진 확대 Kazuo Inamori’s Last Class, a book published by Maeil Economic Newspaper placed in the office reproduction space of Inamori Library. Wonjae is the “12 Group of Origin of Management”. [Kyoto correspondent Lee Seunghoon]

No founder Inamori family currently plays a key role in Kyocera. Director Hashira explained, “Inamori had a very strong principle not to run a family from the beginning of its foundation,” adding, “We maintained the idea that Kyocera is not an individual company, but a company for all members of the start-up.”