Dr. (

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

; February 28, 1919 in Tokyo – September 10, 2012) was one of the pioneers of postwar Japanese manufacturing. He served as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Scout of the Scout Association of Japan, serving for 12 years from 1994, and was the former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Christian University.

Background

Intrigued at the workings of the household radio during his childhood, Saba chose to study electrical engineering. He received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in electrical engineering from the

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

in December 1941 and went to work for the Toshiba Corporation (before he was called to active service in the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor ...

on February 1, 1942), where he later became President and CEO. In 1956-1957 he served as a representative of Toshiba to

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

in Schenectady, New York. He was conferred by ICU with an honorary doctor of letters in 2009. Saba served as Chairman of the Japan Machinery Foundation (today, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association); Vice Chairman for the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations; Chairman of the

Japan Machinery Federation Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

; and Counselor to the

Bank of Japan The is the central bank of Japan. Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005). "Nihon Ginkō" in The bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chūō, Tokyo. History Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was fou ...

. He was named a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences; fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

; and foreign associate to the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

. During his tenure as president of Toshiba from 1980 to July 1987, he helped bring portable computers to the consumer market. Saba funneled vast resources into research and development, especially in the areas of semiconductors, computers, and telecommunications. In the Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal, Saba and President Sugiichiro Watari resigned from their official posts, though he remained as adviser to the board rather than having to sever a 45-year tie. Well into his 80s he was seen almost daily in the office. Saba was also the first Japanese director of Imperial Chemical Industries as a non-executive in 1985. Saba was awarded the Medal with Blue Ribbon (藍綬褒章, ''ranjuhōshō'') in 1980; First Class of the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1990; the Commander's Cross (''Großes Verdienstkreuz'') of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

; and the Honorary Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1990. In 1999 he also received the highest distinction of the Scout Association of Japan, the Golden Pheasant Award. Saba's fundraising efforts supported the centenary Japan Festival event of the

Japan Society of the UK The Japan Society of the United Kingdom, founded in 1891, is an organisation that fosters British-Japanese relations. It is the oldest such organisation dedicated to inter-cultural understanding and positive relationships between a European Count ...

, including the first

sumo tournament A is an official professional sumo tournament. The number of ''honbasho'' every year has varied along the years; since 1958 there are six tournaments every year. Only ''honbasho'' results matter in determining promotion and relegation for '' rik ...

held outside Japan.

References

External links

* http://web.icu.ac.jp/www2/en/20120915-3.html * http://oldsite.scout.org/en/multi_media/images/global/news/2004/2007_mr_shoichi_saba * https://web.archive.org/web/20090327024400/http://www.scout.org/en/content/download/11624/94866/file/Triennial_Report_EN_5.pdf * http://ethw.org/Shoichi_Saba * http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/84474c9c-0e1d-11e2-8d92-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3oAb5Mgb0 * http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/71/Toshiba-Corporation.html * http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article3549276.ece {{DEFAULTSORT:Saba, Shoichi 1919 births 2012 deaths Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Scouting in Japan Foreign associates of the National Academy of Engineering Chief Scouts