Founder of Nippon Koei Co.,Ltd. Yutaka Kubota

Tackle your problems with sincerity and the road ahead shall be clear.

1936

1953

1968

Yutaka Kubota was born on April 27, 1890 in Kumamoto, Kyushu, Japan.
He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University Department of Civil Engineering in 1914. After serving at the Department of the Interior, he joined Japan Nitrogenous Fertilizer Company Ltd. From 1924 through 1945 when WWII ended, he directed its power supply projects for its chemical plant in Korea under the company's president, Shitagau Noguchi. During this period, power plants generating 2 million combined kilowatts were completed. The largest of these was the Supung Dam on the Yalu River which was designed as the largest hydraulic power unit in the world when construction started in 1937. It was completed in 1944.
In 1946, Kubota established his own business, Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. The word "koei" is derived from the Chinese characters for "technology" and "management" since he planned the company to combine technology and management. The company has lived up to its name by taking responsibility for many large-scale projects around the world from the planning and design stages right through to managing the construction.
Initially the company participated in hydraulic power development projects in Southeast Asian countries including Burma (now Myanmar) and Vietnam. Kubota's excellent engineering drew attention internationally as it was evaluated to be higher than that of European countries on similar projects in the area at the time. He was then designated by the United Nations to be a member of several survey missions for the Mekong River development project. His role was again highly appraised, and he became known as "General Mekong" throughout the UN and the World Bank.

Mr.Kubota in field with staff of Karang Kates Hydropower dam project in Indonesia

Kubota further contributed to the industrialization of developing countries, continuing this work until he was 90 years old. He directed different development projects in many parts of the world, including the Asahan Hydropower Project in Indonesia. Additionally, he performed public service at many organizations for enhancing international relations. Kubota was the Chairman of Engineering Consulting Firms Association that he himself established in 1964.

Interview with President Kubota published in Engineering News-Record magazine on February 8, 1968.

In 1984, he raised 200 million yen from his personal savings to establish the Kubota Fund. This Fund aimed to provide financiall support to engineers from developing countries working in Japan as trainees or researchers.

In 1985, for these contributions, he was awarded the Decoration of the First Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese government, the highest royal award given to a civilian. He also received many medals of merit from other Asian Countries for his great achievements. He passed away on September 9, 1986, at the age of 96. The government posthumously awarded him the rank of Third Grade, Senior of the Court.

Receiving the Decoration of the First Order of the Rising Sun in 1985