TOKYO – Former Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko, who designed the car manufacturer’s partnership with Nissan, died at age 71.
Masuko appointed the company’s special adviser when he resigned for fitness reasons on August 7 Mitsubishi Motors said he died of a failure at the center on August 27.
Masuko joined Nissan moderator Carlos Ghosn to form an alliance in 2016. Ghosn was arrested and charged with alleged monetary misconduct in 2018, but posted bail and fled to Lebanon.
After being named president of Mitsubishi Motors in 2005, Masuko worked hard to reconstruct the image of his logo, which had been struck through a massive, systematic and prolonged cover-up of decades of defects that arose in the early 2000s.
Masuko, silent and soft-spoken, came here to symbolize the revitalization of Mitsubishi Motors.
Masuko said he was stunned and unhappy about Ghosn’s arrest.
“I still can’t understand why, and I just don’t get it,” he told reporters at the time.
Mitsubishi’s alliance with Nissan and Renault in France was noted as a shrewd decision, giving car brands credit in a competitive global market.
“During his nearly 16-year tenure at MMC, Masuko achieved wonderful achievements by fully demonstrating his control skills, which also helped the corporate triumph over the challenges,” Mitsubishi Motors said.
Masuko helped expand the company’s activities in Southeast Asia, a key to expansion for the company, and has also aggressively driven the progression of ecological models.
Masuko studied political science and economics at Waseda University and had no engineering training. He joined Mitsubishi Corp. in 1972.
In 2004, he joined the automotive game application manufacturer Pajero and Outlander as general manager of its operations.
Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Motors said it did not provide any special services, respecting Masuko’s wishes. The family circle has already held a vigil and a funeral, he said.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
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