Osamu Matsubara (松原 治, Matsubara Osamu, October 7, 1917 – January 3, 2012) was a Japanese businessman, business executive, and former chairman and CEO of Books Kinokuniya.[1]
Matsubara was President of Kinokuniya Company Ltd., the parent company of Books Kinokuniya, from October 1980 to November 2002.[2] In November 2002, he became the Chief Executive Office and board chairman for Kinokuniya Company Ltd.[2] Outside Japan, Matsubara oversaw the 2007 relocation of Books Kinokuniya's New York City location from Rockefeller Center to a new, 23,800 sq. feet, three-floor store across from Bryant Park.[1] The store, with its 250,000 items, is considered the largest Japanese bookstore in the United States.[1] The inventory of the New York location includes an equal amount of Japanese and English books, which is in line with the company's goal to offer a wide assortment of titles in both Japanese and English.[3]
Osamu Matsubara died from heart failure on January 3, 2012, at the age of 94.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b "Celebration of new Kinokuniya Store in New York City". Japan Times. 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
- ^ a b "Executive Profile: Osamu Matsubara". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
- ^ "About Us". Kinokuniya USA. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "元紀伊国屋書店社長の松原治さん死去". Asahi Shimbun. 2012-01-03. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
External links edit
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