SONY CO-FOUNDER AKIO MORITA HONORED BY ASIA PACIFIC BUSINESS LEADERS
Santiago, May 25, 1998 – Sony co-founder Akio Morita was honored this evening by
leading corporate executives and senior government officials from throughout the
Asia-Pacific. At the 31st International General Meeting (IGM) of the Pacific Basin
Economic Council, Morita was given the first PBEC Award for International Business
Excellence in a ceremony during the opening gala dinner of the conference in the elegant
Palacio Cousiņo, a stately 19th-Century mansion in the Chilean capital. PBEC Chairman
Gary L. Tooker presented a Steuben crystal globe to Tatsuo Okada, Morita’s
son-in-law. Morita, 77, who lives in Hawaii, was unable to attend for health reasons.
Tooker, Chairman of Motorola Inc., praised the Japanese business legend for his
“unwavering commitment to the highest standards of management and entrepreneurship
and a solid belief in the benefits of commercial openness and international
cooperation.” Founded in 1977, PBEC is an association of top business leaders
representing more than 1,100 major corporations in 20 economies around the Pacific. During
his career, Morita had participated in PBEC activities for years.
Son of a sake-maker, Morita built Sony from nothing into an internationally respected
global corporation. Established in 1946, Sony is a leader in the development of consumer
electronics, such as videocassette recorders, the ubiquitous Walkman, and the Trinitron
television system, which was the first product ever to receive an Emmy award. In 1961,
Sony became the first Japanese company to list on Wall Street. In the late 1980s, Sony
acquired CBS Records and Columbia Pictures Entertainment to become a major force in the
entertainment industry. In his years at Sony, Morita helped many foreign corporations
learn to work effectively within the Japanese business environment. He was renowned for
his internationalist view, helping to enhance U.S.-Japan relations. In 1992,
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth awarded him an honorary knighthood.
Earlier, Chilean President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle delivered the keynote address at the
IGM opening session. The conference, which has brought together more than 500 senior
executives and government ministers, ends on May 27. Besides Frei, other speakers today
included Tooker, Ecuadorian Vice President Pedro Roberto Aguayo Cubillo, First Vice
President Ricardo Marquez, and Yu Xiaosong, Chairman of the China Council for the
Promotion of International Trade.
Contact:
Stephen Olson
PBEC International Secretariat
900 Fort Street, Suite 1080
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 USA
Tel. 521-9044 ext. 17
Fax.521-8530
E-mail: steve@pbec.org