Shigeo Takayama, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Hakuto Co., Ltd.,
passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 25, 2010, at home in Tokyo,
Japan. He was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 27, 1916, to
Shichi-no-jo and Yone Takayama. He was 94 years old. He is survived
by his wife, Megumi; their three sons, Ichiro, Ken and Ryutaro; seven
grandchildren; and niece Grace Mayeda and nephew John Hamaguchi.
As a child, Shigeo was raised by his aunt and uncle in Mie Prefecture
while his parents labored around the clock in California. He returned
briefly to Los Angeles to attend Hollenbeck Junior High School and
Roosevelt High School. Shigeo completed his education at Nagoya
Middle School and Nagoya (Nagoya Koto Shogyo) University.
Shigeo Takayama established Hakuto Company in Tokyo in 1953; the
company was named for Brazil (haku) and Tokyo (to) with its first
business in quartz crystal trade between the two countries. Hakuto
steadily grew and expanded into the electronic and chemical
industries. The company went public in 1995 and was listed in the
first tier of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2000. In 2001, he founded
the Takayama International Education Foundation to support students
from across Asia to study in Japan.
Although Shigeo has passed away, his passion in building bridges
across cultures through business and philanthropy, and his generous
spirit in supporting both individuals and causes will continue. He
will be remembered by all who have come to know him.
Memorial services will be held at the Tsuru No Ma of the New Otani
Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, on September 10, 2010, from 12 to 1 p.m. In
lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Japanese American
National Museum (www.janm.org) or The Rotary Foundation of Rotary
International (www.rotary.org).