Isao Okawa

Isao Okawa
Place of birth: Osaka, Japan
Date of birth: 1926-05-19
Date of death: 2001-03-16 (age 74)
Employment history: CSK Sega Enterprises Sega
Role(s): Executive
Education: Waseda University, Tokyo

Isao Okawa (大川 功) served as Chairman for Sega between 1984 and 2001. After graduating from Waseda he formed his own Computer Service Company, which later became known as CSK Holdings Corporation. In 1984, the company, then a multi-billion dollar Japanese conglomerate, bought Sega, renamed it to Sega Enterprises Ltd., and headquartered it in Japan. Two years later, shares of its stock were being traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

In 1999, Hayao Nakayama left Sega, with Okawa taking his place as assistant president of the company. The following year, Shoichiro Irimajiri left, and Okawa was promoted to president. He inherited a company struggling in the video game console marketplace and is said to have tried extremely hard to keep the company afloat. He was engaged in talks with Microsoft in an attempt to get their Xbox console to run Sega Dreamcast games, and is said to have invested US$900 million from his personal fortune to help the company avoid bankruptcy.

On March 16, 2001, Okawa died of heart failure at Tokyo University Hospital at the age of 74. He was succeeded as president by Hideki Sato.

Production history

• Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast; 1998) — Executive supervisor
• Samba de Amigo (NAOMI; 1999) — Executive Supervisor
• Space Channel 5 (Dreamcast; 1999) — Very Very Very Executive Producer
• D-2 (Dreamcast; 1999) — Special Thanks
• Samba de Amigo (Dreamcast; 2000) — Executive Supervisor (as ISAO OOKAWA)
• Samba de Amigo (Dreamcast; 2000) — Executive Producer (as Isao Ookawa)
• Samba de Amigo Ver.2000 (NAOMI; 2000) — Executive Supervisor/Executive Producer
• Samba de Amigo Ver.2000 (Dreamcast; 2000) — Executive Producer (as ISAO OOKAWA)
• Samba de Amigo Ver.2000 (Dreamcast; 2000) — Executive Supervisor (as ISAO OOKAWA)
• Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast; 2001) — Executive Producer
• Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GameCube; 2001) — Executive Producer
• Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (GameCube; 2003) — Executive Supervisor

Photographs

Main article: Photos of Isao Okawa