Masaharu Matsushita

[2] Masaharu Matsushita has been credited with expanding Panasonic into a global brand during a time of high economic expansion in Japan.

[2] He was the second son of Count Eiji Hirata (1882–1971) who was a painter and a professor of Tokyo School of Fine Arts and Tatsu, the adopted daughter of Viscount Shinagawa Yajirō.

[2][6] In April 1940, he married Sachiko Matsushita, the daughter of Panasonic's founder, and was adopted into her family, taking their surname.

[2] Masaharu Matsushita held the presidency of Panasonic for sixteen years, during a period of worldwide growth for Japan.

Panasonic chairman Fumio Ōtsubo said of Matsushita, "I honor from the bottom of my heart his achievements in steering our company toward momentous growth.