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Akio Morita (1921-1999) was the co-founder of Sony Corporation.
Morita was an officer in the Japanese navy during World War 2, and was
trained as a physicist and scientist. His family was involved in sake
production. Morita founded a company with Masaru
Ibuka immediately after the
end of the war. In 1949 the company developed magnetic recording tape and in
1950 sold the first tape recorder in Japan. In 1957 it produced a
pocket-sized radio and a year later renamed itself Sony (sonus is Latin for
sound). In 1960 it produced the first transistor television in the world.
In 1961 Sony Corporation of America was the first Japanese company to be
listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1989 Sony bought Columbia
Pictures.
In 1993, Morita resigned as Sony chairman, after suffering a cerebral
hemorrhage while playing tennis.
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