Rokuro Ishikawa, honorary chairman of major general contractor Kajima Corp., died of heart failure at a Tokyo hospital Wednesday night, company officials said Thursday. He was 80.
Ishikawa, who also served as chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, played a key role in introducing the consumption tax in 1989 by persuading local chambers of commerce and industry that had opposed it to back down.
A graduate of the University of Tokyo, Ishikawa joined the former Transport Ministry. He later worked for the now-defunct Japanese National Railways before joining Kajima K.K., the predecessor of Kajima Corp., in 1955 as a director after marrying the daughter of Morinosuke Kajima, who is credited with bringing about a second golden era for the general contractor.
Ishikawa became president of Kajima in 1978 and assumed the post of chairman in 1984.
He became chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1987 and stepped down in 1993.