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Former Yaskawa Electric president Masahiro Ogawa dies at 62
Versión 2: New coverage from Tokyo Shimbun and the tech outlet Nikkei xTECH is added; Nikkei xTECH supplies the first details on Ogawa's Nvidia collaboration, the “MOTOMAN NEXT” AI robot launched in December 2023 and the planned $180 million Wisconsin facility announced in June 2025, while the core facts of the death and the funeral arrangements are unchanged.
En breve
Masahiro Ogawa, former president and vice chairman of Yaskawa Electric, died on Oct. 2 of illness at 62, the company announced on Oct. 5. An engineer who spent most of his career in the industrial robot business and helped open the US market, he became president in 2023 and stepped down in May 2026 for medical treatment. His funeral is set for 10:00 a.m. on Oct. 7 in Kitakyushu.
Leer la noticia completa 2 min de lectura
Yaskawa Electric announced on Oct. 5 that former president and vice chairman Masahiro Ogawa died on Oct. 2 of illness. He was 62. Ogawa had stepped down as president in May 2026 to receive medical treatment and moved to the post of vice chairman executive officer, the company said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Ogawa joined the company, then Yaskawa Electric Manufacturing, in 1987 after graduating from what was then Kyushu Institute of Design, now part of Kyushu University, according to Nikkei. He spent many years in the industrial robot division and worked on developing the US market, the outlets report. He became president in 2023 — March 2023 according to Yomiuri Shimbun — and concentrated on a robot business using artificial intelligence, described by Nikkei as “physical AI”. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Nikkei xTECH reported that the company in December 2023 released an AI robot called “MOTOMAN NEXT” with Nvidia GPUs fitted as standard on all models, and that Ogawa said at a March 2025 business conference that he was convinced AI robotics would strengthen Japan's competitiveness and could be called a “new industry”. Nikkei xTECH also reported that in June 2025 the company announced it would spend about $180 million, roughly ¥28 billion, over eight to ten years on a technology development facility and a robot factory in Wisconsin. Ogawa attended an event in Japan in July 2026 alongside the Nvidia chief executive, two months after stepping down, and Nikkei xTECH wrote that many were concerned about his condition there. [ 6 ]
The funeral is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Oct. 7 at City Hall Yahata Chuo in Yahatahigashi Ward, Kitakyushu, with his wife Kyoko as chief mourner, and the company plans a farewell event later, according to Yomiuri, Nikkei and Sankei. Yomiuri reported a wake at the same venue at 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 6. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
The documents do not specify the illness beyond saying he died of illness. Sankei Shimbun reported that Ogawa was from Kitakyushu and died at a hospital in the city, a detail the other documents do not carry, and Nikkei alone reported that he had chaired the Japan Robot Association. Tokyo Shimbun carried the death in its headline without further detail available in this set. No document says who will continue the AI robot business he was promoting. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Por qué importa
Ogawa led Yaskawa Electric's industrial robot business for years and, according to Nikkei, also chaired the Japan Robot Association, placing him among the figures behind a Japanese industry that supplies factory automation worldwide. In his last years he pushed AI-equipped robots and US production, but the documents do not say who will continue that work.
Datos clave
- Yaskawa Electric announced on Oct. 5 that former president and vice chairman Masahiro Ogawa died on Oct. 2 of illness at the age of 62. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He joined the company, then Yaskawa Electric Manufacturing, in 1987 and spent many years in the industrial robot division, working on the US market. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He became president in 2023 — March 2023 according to Yomiuri Shimbun and Yahoo! News Japan — and stepped down in May 2026 to receive medical treatment, becoming vice chairman executive officer. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Nikkei reports he focused on a robot business using artificial intelligence that it calls “physical AI”. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Nikkei xTECH reports that in December 2023 the company released the AI robot “MOTOMAN NEXT”, which carried Nvidia GPUs as standard on all models. [ 6 ]
- Nikkei xTECH reports the company announced in June 2025 that it would spend about $180 million (about ¥28 billion) over eight to ten years on a technology development facility and robot factory in Wisconsin. [ 6 ]
- The funeral will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Oct. 7 at City Hall Yahata Chuo in Yahatahigashi Ward, Kitakyushu, with his wife Kyoko as chief mourner; a company farewell event will be held later. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- Yaskawa Electric announced on Oct. 5 that former president and vice chairman Masahiro Ogawa died on Oct. 2 of illness at 62. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Ogawa became president in 2023 and stepped down in May 2026 for medical treatment, taking the post of vice chairman executive officer. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- He spent many years in the company's industrial robot business and contributed to developing the US market. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- His funeral is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Oct. 7 at City Hall Yahata Chuo in Yahatahigashi Ward, Kitakyushu, with his wife Kyoko as chief mourner, and the company plans a farewell event later. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- The illness that caused his death is not specified beyond the word “illness”. All the documents give only that he died of illness; no diagnosis or further detail is provided.
- That Ogawa was from Kitakyushu and died at a hospital in the city is reported by one outlet. Single-source detail from Sankei Shimbun; the other documents do not state his birthplace or place of death.
- That he chaired the Japan Robot Association and graduated from what was then Kyushu Institute of Design, now part of Kyushu University, is reported by one outlet. Single-source details from Nikkei; the other documents do not mention them.
- That a wake will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the same venue is reported by one outlet. Single-source detail from Yomiuri Shimbun.
- The Nvidia collaboration, the “MOTOMAN NEXT” launch and the Wisconsin investment plan are reported by one outlet. Single-source details from Nikkei xTECH; the other documents do not mention them.
- Who will take over the AI-equipped robot business he was promoting is not stated. No document addresses succession or the future of that business.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- Yomiuri Shimbun publishes the first report in this set, citing the Yaskawa Electric announcement that Ogawa died on Oct. 2, and gives the funeral arrangements. [ 1 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan's top page carries the same Yomiuri report among other headlines. [ 2 ]
- Nikkei reports the death, adding his 1987 entry into the company, his long service in the robot division, the US market work and his focus on “physical AI”. [ 3 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reports he died at a hospital in Kitakyushu and was from the city. [ 4 ]
- Tokyo Shimbun carries the death of the former Yaskawa Electric president. [ 5 ]
- Nikkei xTECH reports the death with details of the Nvidia collaboration, the “MOTOMAN NEXT” robot and the Wisconsin investment plan. [ 6 ]
- Wake scheduled at City Hall Yahata Chuo in Kitakyushu on Oct. 6. [ 1 ]
- Funeral scheduled at City Hall Yahata Chuo in Kitakyushu on Oct. 7, with his wife Kyoko as chief mourner. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]