Masashi Shimizu

Masashi Shimizu (清水雅, Shimizu Masashi, February 12, 1901, Osaka City, Osaka - December 24, 1994; Nishinomiya, Hyogo {age 93} ) is a Japanese businessman during the Showa and Heisei eras. He served under Ichizo Kobayashi as the executive for many years and was the head of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Masashi was the first president of Hankyu Department Store after becoming independent from store in 1947, and later served as Chairman of the department store. He is also the 7th president and chairman of Toho and also served as the founder of Toho Chuko. 
== Career ==
Masashi was born the in Abeno Ward, Osaka City (Osaka Prefecture). After graduating from Keiō Gijuku Daigaku. Gendai Keizaigaku Kenkyūkai, Masashi studied abroad in Europe and the United States. After returning to Japan, he was invited by Ichizo Kobayashi to join the Hankyu Railway Company in 1928. Masashi served as presidents of Hankyu Department Store in 1947, Hankyu Kyoei Bussan in 1952, and Director of Toho Studio on September 20, 1955. He was officially became president on March 25, 1957, in place of Toho's acting president, Hankyu Department Store chairman, and successor to Tomisao Kobayashi (the eldest son of Ichizo Kobayashi), who died on October 5, 1957. 
Masashi was appointed and served as Chairman of Toho in 1966 and Chairman of Hankyu Railway in 1968. In 1974, Tatsuro Matsuoka (the second son of Ichizo Kobayashi), and the successor president of Toho, passed away and returned to his position. On May 25, 1977, he was handed over to Tatsuro's eldest son, Isao Matsuoka, and became a representative director and advisor. On May 25, 1981, Masashi became a director advisor (later retired as an advisor). In addition, he also served as a director of MBS TV (later an auditor) and a director of Korakuen Stadium. Shinzo Takahashi, who served as the president and chairman of MBS TV, was a classmate at Keio University and latter a journalist. 
In this way, the position as a businessman was high, but on the other hand, it is said that Toho itself continued to restrict the planning and production of films that criticized the government, the ruling parties and the international businesses at all times. Masashi died of pneumonia at 8:02 am on December 24, 1994 at the age of 93. His eldest daughter is married to Ryohei Mimura (the younger brother of Yohei Mimura, who was the president and chairman of Mitsubishi Corporation) who was the vice president of Hankyu Hanshin Properties Corp.. Ryunosuke's father is the writer Shusaku Endo, and Shusaku's wife's cousin is the actor Eiji Okada. 
Keiichi Mimura, the eldest son and chairman of MBS TV, is the grandson, and Ryunosuke Endo, the president of Fuji TV, is the husband of his granddaughter. The younger brother of his son-in-law, Ryohei Mimura, joined Hankyu Railway from Mitsubishi Bank. Kohei Kobayashi, who has served as chairman of the company and owner of Orix Buffaloes, and his eldest son (Keiichi Mimura's paternal cousin) is Koichi Kobayashi, who served as the chairman of the Takarazuka Revue.