In memoriam: Toshimitsu Matsuo


by Kato Masao
Chairman of the Board of Directors
The Nihon Ki-in


　I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Toshimitsu Matsuo on his death and also to express my profound sense of gratitude to him for the various reforms that he carried out during his term of office as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nihon Ki-in.

　During his five-year term of office, Mr. Toshimitsu set out to rebuild the Nihon Ki-in, which was in a state of crisis. He attempted to reform the out-of-date organization of the Nihon Ki-in so that it could survive; he introduced economic rationalism into its management and at the same time instituted a policy of making information open and of improving the Nihon Ki-in's efficiency. He also promoted the internationalization of go.

　Mr. Toshimitsu launched the project to create the Nihon Ki-in's server for playing go on the Net. He also launched projects for promoting amateur go, and these led to the founding of the Go Hall of Fame. He was also responsible for many other reforms, including the abolition of the professional rating tournament.

　Unfortunately, he began suffering from bad health in April this year and was compelled to resign the post of Chairman, but thanks to his efforts the management of the Nihon Ki-in has improved. I am very grateful for his great achievements in this area.

　However, the reform of the Nihon Ki-in management is not yet complete, so those of us who follow in Mr. Toshimitsu's footsteps will continue to grapple with this task, aided and inspired by his zeal for reform.



Brief biography


　Mr. Toshimitsu Matsuo died of heart failure on 9 November. He was 80 years of age. He entered Japan Airlines in 1951. He played a major role in rebuilding the company after the catastrophic Jumbo crash in 1985. He became president of JAL in 1990.

　Mr. Toshimitsu became a director of the Nihon Ki-in in June 1997 and in April 1999 succeeded Mr. Watanabe Fumio as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He was the twelfth chairman. He resigned the post in April 2004 for reasons of health.

　 Mr. Toshimitsu also made an invaluable contribution to international go, serving as President of the International Go Federation from June 2001 to June 2004.