From: Subject: Isao Okawa Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 15:59:24 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: file://C:\Stuff\Other%20(New)\Sega\Isao%20Okawa%20Dies\Isao%20Okawa.htm X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 Isao Okawa
It is with great sadness = that=20 Sega announces that on March 16th at 3:47 pm (Tokyo Time), Isao = Okawa, the=20 beloved and respected chairman and president of Sega Corporation, = passed=20 away at the Tokyo University Medical Hospital due to heart = failure.=20

Okawa-san was born in Osaka, Japan in 1927. After graduating = from the=20 prestigious Waseda University, he formed Computer Service, which = in 1968=20 became CSK. In addition to his role at Sega and being an honorary = chairman=20 of the CSK Corporation, Okawa-san was granted several honors by = the=20 government for his efforts to aid and revitalize Japanese = high-technology=20 companies. He also received an honorary doctorate from his alma = mater.=20

Over the years, Okawa-san demonstrated his personal commitment = to Sega=20 Corporation. He spent about 10 billion yen ($81.6 million) of his = own=20 funds in 1984 to buy a minority stake in Sega from Gulf & = Western=20 Industries Inc., the former parent company of Sega. He continued = his=20 personal involvement with Sega Entertainment Ltd, by joining with = David=20 Rosen (the founder of Sega in 1951) to buy the remaining Japanese = assets=20 of Sega. In 1986 he took Sega public in Tokyo and New York. In the = last=20 year he was a primary source of support for Sega, donating = personal assets=20 valued at 135 billion yen ($1.281 billion).=20

As a visionary with unrelenting passion for Sega, Okawa-san was = integral in establishing the company as a leader in innovative and = compelling content. Although Okawa-san had removed himself from a=20 day-to-day managerial position, he was still consistently = acknowledged as=20 an inspiration to Sega's employees around the globe. By = integrating his=20 love of games with his enthusiasm and involvement with a range of=20 cutting-edge technologies, Okawa-san successfully mapped out the = blueprint=20 for the future of Sega. Although his passing marks a sad day in = our=20 history, his vision will continue to be carried on by the numerous = development teams he inspired to deliver the world's paramount = networked=20 gaming content.=20

SEGA Corporation
March 16, 2001

Return to=20 = Sega.com