1Years Ages

Events1894

0Born on November 27 in Wakayama Prefecture, third son of Masakusu
and Tokue Matsushita.

1899

4His father loses home and farmland in rice speculation. Family movesto Wakayama City.

1900

5His second eldest brother dies of illness.

1901

6Enters Ono Elementary School, Wakayama City.
His eldest brother and second eldest sister die of illness.

1902

7His father moves to Osaka alone, and works in Moa-In, a private school for the blind anddeaf-mute.

1904

9Leaves school in fourth grade to take up apprenticeship at Miyata Hibachi Shop inMinami Ward (now Chuo Ward), Osaka.

1905

10

Begins apprenticeship at Godai Bicycle Shop in Semba, Higashi Ward (nowChuo Ward), Osaka.

1906

11His father dies.

1910

15

Resigns from Godai Bicycle Shop, and takes on temporary job at Sakura Cement Co.
Joins Osaka Electric Light Company as interior wiring assistant.

1911

16

Promoted to installation technician, at the youngest age in the company.

1913

18

Enrolls in Kansai Commercial and Industrial School course in Osaka.
His mother dies.

1914

19

Drops out of Kansai Commercial and Industrial School.

1915

20

Marries 19-year-old Mumeno Iue on September 4.

1916

21

Files an application for a new light socket design for practical use.

1917

22

Promoted to inspector, at the youngest age in company.
Quits Osaka Electric Light Company; begins manufacturing and selling sockets in Ikaino,Higashinari County (now Higashinari Ward), Osaka.

23

Founds Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works(now the Panasonic Group) on March 7 in Ohiraki-cho, Kita
Ward (now Fukushima Ward), Osaka.
Starts selling new model attachment plugs and two-way plug sockets.

25

The company logo and trademark which contains a letter "M" is registered.
Forms "Hoichi Kai" with all 28 employees of the company (dissolved
when its labor union was formed in 1946).
Opens Tokyo branch office.

1922

27

Completes construction of first plant in Ohiraki-cho, Kita Ward (now Fukushima Ward),Osaka.
The number of employees grows to 50.
Adopts a live-in employee method.

1923

28

Designs a bullet-shaped battery-powered bicycle lamp and starts itsmanufacture.

1924

29

Holds first distributors' meeting.

1925

30

Sells the bicycle lamp's exclusive right for nation-wide sale and "EXCEL" logo toYamamoto Store. Elected to district council.

1918

1920

2Years Ages

Events32

Establishes electro-thermal division. Begins production and sale of electric irons andheaters.
Introduces square lamps as the first product under the "National" brand.

34

Changes company name to Matsushita Electric Manufacturing Works.
Sets forth Basic Management Objectives and Company Creed.
Completes the second head office and factory in Ohiraki-cho.
Overcomes the recession by halving production and factory work hours while
continuing to pay full salaries without dismissing any employees. (New York stock
market crashes and Great Depression begins.)

37

Establishes trading department, and begins an export business.
Declares Panasonic's true mission at a celebration on May 5. Designates May 5"Foundation Day" and the year 1932 as first year of "Meichi" or awareness of thecorporate mission.

1933

38

Establishes division system.
Starts morning/evening meeting system.
Constructs new headquarters and factories in Kadoma, Osaka.
Sets forth Five Principles (revised as Seven Principles in August 1937).

1934

39

Founds Staff Training School, and assumes the post of president.

1935

40

Incorporates Matsushita Electric Manufacturing Works as Matsushita Electric IndustrialCo., Ltd. (MEI)
Reorganizes the company into nine divisions under MEI.
Establishes Basic Internal Rules for all employees.

1940

45

Holds the first annual management policy meeting (later became an annual tradition).
Constructs Matsushita Hospital (now Matsushita Memorial Hospital).

1945

50

Calls a meeting on August 16 and appeals to executive staff to rebuild Japan byrestarting production of household appliances immediately.

1946

51

Matsushita Industries Labor Union is formed in January (Renamed Matsushita ElectricIndustrial Labor Union in 1947). Konosuke attends the opening ceremony voluntarily andgives a speech of congratulations.
Matsushita Electric and 32 affiliated companies are designated "restricted concerns" bySupreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) (designation lifted in October 1950).
Matsushita family is marked as "zaibatsu (financial clique) family" (cleared in late 1949).
Matsushita labor union and sales distributors petition for exemption of company
president from purge.
Founds PHP Institute, Inc on November 3.

1947

52

Inaugurates PHP Monthly magazine.

54

Proclaim business difficulties at an annual management policy meeting.
Solicits voluntary retirements for corporate downsizing and rationalization ofmanagement for the first time.
Matsushita Electric debt reaches 1 billion yen, and dubbed as "King of Tax Arrears."

55

Zaibatsu designation and other restrictions are lifted. Business starts to recover.
Announces at an emergency management policy meeting that company is ready for afresh start.
Resurrects division system.
PHP activities stop temporary (restarted in 1961).

1927

1929

1932

1949

1950

3Years Ages

Events1951

56

Declares at an annual management policy meeting, "I want to manage the company withsuch a mind that Matsushita Electric would start business again from today.“Makes the first visit to U.S. and Europe.

1952

57

Concludes a technical tie-up with Philips.

1954

59

Matsushita Electric takes over Victor Co. of Japan.
Advocates "Rebuild Japan by Tourism" in Bungeishunju, a monthly magazine in May.
Inaugurates company in-house magazine Shofu.

1956

61

Launches a five-year plan at an annual management policy meeting.
Receives a Medal with Blue Ribbon (one of Medals of Honor in Japan).

1957

62

Forms National Shop Meeting.
Starts a National Shop (an exclusive group of retailers) system.

1958

63

Receives title of Commander in the Order of Orange Nassau from Dutch government.
Appears in a New York Times article, "Inventor Konosuke Matsushita."

64

Establishes Japan-Netherlands Society of the Kansai and assumes the post ofchairman.
Establishes Matsushita Electric Corporation of America in New York.
Appears in the Financial Times.

65

Announces the plan to institute five-day workweek in five years.
Establishes Matsushita Electric Kogakuin (a vocational school).
Visits the Netherlands with his wife, Mumeno.

1961

66

Retires as president of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. to assume the post ofchairman.
Restarts PHP activities at Shinshin-an (now a private guesthouse for PanasonicCorporation) in Kyoto.
Becomes an honorary citizen of Wakayama City.

1962

67

Time runs a cover story on Konosuke Matsushita.
Erects a shrine to the Great Power at Shinshin-an.

1963

68

Attends Time Inc. "Party of the Century" marking 40th anniversary of its founding.

69

Holds Atami Conference with sales companies and distributors to solve the problem offlagging sales in Japan. Takes up the position of acting National sales manager toimplement reforms of distribution network and sales system.
Starts a management research forum.
Life runs article, "Meet Mr. Matsushita.
Becomes the first honorary citizen of Kadoma City.

1965

70

Institutes the system of five-day workweek.
Receives the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from Japanese government.
Receives honorary doctorate in law from Waseda University.
Announces "Dam Management" at the Kansai Economic Seminar.

1967

72

Announces the plan to surpass European wages within five years at an annualmanagement policy meeting.

73

Matsushita Electric House of History (now Konosuke Matsushita Museum) opens.
Receives medal for distinguished service in culture from Brazilian government.
Panasonic's 50th anniversary is celebrated.

1959

196019641968

4Years Ages

Events73

Appointed chairman of Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation.
Appointed chairman of the Ryozen Memorial Society.
Erects the statue of Pioneer of Science and Industry.

1970

75

Participates in Expo '70 (Japan World Exposition) with "Matsushita-kan."
Receives Order of the Sacred Treasure, First Class from Japanese government.
First English edition of PHP magazine published.

1971

76

Appointed chairman of Asuka Preservation Foundation.
Receives honorary doctorate from Keio University.

1972

77

Receives Order of the Crown from King Baudouin I of Belgium.

1973

78

Panasonic's 55th anniversary is celebrated.
Resigns as chairman and assumes the post of executive advisor.

1976

81

Visits U.S. for the first time in 13 years to attend the Japan Parade at the 200thanniversary of its independence.
On November 3, 30th anniversary of founding of PHP Institute, Inc. iscelebrated, and Konosuke talks about its true mission.

1977

82

Watashi no Yume, Nihon no Yume, 21 Seiki no Nihon (My Dream, JapaneseDream and Japan in 21st Century) is published. It proposes what Japan shouldlook like in 21st century.

83

Panasonic's 60th anniversary is celebrated.
Announces "Panasonic should have a further development after 60 years"
at an annual management policy meeting.

84

Becomes an honorary citizen of Wakayama Prefecture.
Receives Panglima Mangku Negar decoration for gallantry from Malaysian government.
Establishes The Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, and assumes thepost of chairman and president.

85

The first-year students enter The Matsushita Institute of Government andManagement.
Visits China and meets with Deng Xiaoping.

86

Receives Order of the Rising Sun, First Class, with Star and Ribbon fromJapanese government.
Completes the construction of "Founder's Memorial Garden" on the premises of theheadquarters of Matsushita Electric.

1983

88

Receives Ecomienda de la Orden del Mérito Civil from Spanish government.
Funds Japan Prize and becomes the first president of Japan Prize Foundation.
Establishes Kyoto Colloquium on Global Change, and assumes post of chairman.

1986

91

Receives honorary doctoral in Law from University of Maryland, USA.

1987

92

Receives Order of the Paulownia Flowers from Japanese government.
Receives honorary doctoral in Humanities from Pacific University, USA.

1968

1978

1979

1980

1981

1988

93

Establishes The Matsushita International Foundation.
Establishes The Konosuke Matsushita Foundation of EXPO'90 (The International Gardenand Greenery Exposition, Osaka, Japan, 1990).
＊The two foundations merged into The Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Foundation in 2010.

1989

94

Passes away of pneumonia at the age of 94 at 10:06 on April 27.