Tadao Kasio Founder of Casio Date of Birth: 26.11.1917 Country: Japan

Biography of Tadao Kashio

Tadao Kashio, the founder of Casio company, was born on November 26, 1917, in the village of Ueda in western Japan, in the Kochi prefecture (now the lights of the small town of Nangoku City are burning here). Until 1923, Kashio lived in the village. After the Great Tokyo Earthquake, which claimed 100,000 lives, they had the opportunity to move to the city - the capital was being rebuilt and needed labor. The Kashio family packed up their few belongings and set off on a journey in the hope of a better life and the chance for their children to receive an education. However, life in the capital was not easy. The pay at the construction site was low, and to afford Tadao's education, his father saved money by spending five hours commuting to and from work every day. Tadao, being a true Japanese, could not let his father down - he was the top student in his class. After completing school, he was immediately hired as an apprentice lathe operator at an engine manufacturing plant. Tadao would arrive at work first and leave last, which earned him the opportunity to attend paid evening technical courses sponsored by the factory. He worked tirelessly and pushed himself to the point of exhaustion, to the extent that he was declared unfit for military service. In the midst of World War II, in the summer of 1942, Tadao opened his own business. He bought a lathe machine at the factory where he had previously worked for a nominal fee, and he already had connections with potential customers, so he had no shortage of orders. With his skills as a lathe operator, a lathe machine was installed in the yard, where a special workshop shed was built with the bare minimum of necessary equipment. With determination and the support of his family, this was enough to start his business.

Soon, while manufacturing parts for military aircraft, Tadao repaid his loan and earned enough money for his wedding. His mother had chosen a bride for him a few years prior, but he waited because it is not accepted in Japan to marry without money. Unexpectedly, Tadao was offered a milling machine at a nominal price. This was undoubtedly a useful thing - it could be used to manufacture pans, stoves, and heaters, which were in high demand in the post-war period. The money earned from the milling machine allowed the Kashio family not only to survive the difficult post-war years but also to plan for the future. By that time, Tadao had already seen a computational machine in action, and his thoughts were closely tied to it.

In January 1950, Tadao's younger brother, Toshio, began designing a computational machine. It took five long years of daily overtime work to create a prototype. However, the machine became outdated even during the development phase, as it lacked the so-called continuity function: after completing one operation, the machine had to reset the result in order to move on to the next operation. However, failure did not deter Tadao. He borrowed money from the bank and continued his work. During the development of the new machine, it was discovered that not only were the basic capabilities outdated, but also the principle of its operation. The design had to be changed, and a more advanced relay system had to be adopted. The new machine weighed 120 kg and was one meter tall. For that time, it was a grand achievement. The name "Casio 14A" meant that the computational machine operated with fourteen-digit numbers and was the first of its kind. Its superior technical performance compared to foreign counterparts allowed Casio to set a higher price for it.

Success was guaranteed. Japanese products were always valued higher in Japan than imports, whether it was rice or technology. In any case, it was a triumph for the Kashio family. Creating a universal and highly accurate machine for its time coincided with a period of Japan's overall economic boom, and orders poured in for Casio one after another. Taking advantage of the stagnation in the development of new technologies, competitors, especially Sharp, started producing machines of a new generation - not relay-based, but electronic ones. The market reacted with a sharp decline in demand for Casio's products. Intense work was happening in the technical laboratories on a fundamentally new type of computing technology. The model prepared by 1965 was named 001, signifying the newest, starting a new count. The plan proved to be successful. By the beginning of the 1970s, Casio's reputation was fully restored.

In the late 1980s, in addition to calculators, his company began producing watches, printers, televisions, synthesizers, and electronic notepads. The counting machine "Casio Mini," released in 1972, became a symbol of 20th-century technological progress. With a wealth of commercial experience, a renowned brand, and the ability to attract capital, Tadao boldly entered the new market. It was a risk, but a calculated one. Success was also secured by the release of watches, ranging from disposable to expensive prestigious models. Casio watches quickly became a symbol of the company, just like their calculators.

Tadao Kashio was not only the creator of the company but also its unwavering leader from 1960 until 1988. He took over the reins of leadership from his father and passed them on to his brother Toshio after 28 years. Due to this reshuffle, his other two brothers, Kazuo and Yukio, moved up the corporate ladder and took the positions of CEO and Vice CEO. Tadao himself continued to work as a consultant for the company until his death on March 6, 1993. He passed away at the Tokyo Central Hospital due to respiratory tract obstruction.