Dr. Kazuo Inamori, whose management philosophy is shared in this book, was born in Kagoshima, southern Japan, in 1932. At age 27, he established Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Corporation) using $10,000 from a friend. Kyocera has since become a global leader in high-tech ceramic and electronic products. In 1984, he also established DDI Corporation (now KDDI), the first long-distance and cellular telephone carrier company to challenge NTT, Japans communications monopoly.