Sony ex-CEO Idei, who led brand’s global growth, dies at 84

By YURI KAGEYAMA
AP Business Writer

TOKYO (AP) — Nobuyuki Idei, who led Japan’s Sony from 1998 through 2005 and steered its growth in the digital and entertainment businesses, has died. He was 84. Sony says Idei died June 2 in Tokyo of liver failure. Sony is among Japan’s stellar brands, having brought the world the Walkman portable music player. But it had humble beginnings in the 1940s, when the nation was rebuilding from the ashes of World War II. Idei joined Sony in 1960, and worked in its audio and video divisions. He was appointed president in 1995, and became chief executive three years later.