Japanese studio executive Ichizo Kobayashi was the man who founded the country's largest production company, Toho (perhaps best known in the U.S. for the "Godzilla" series of giant monster films) in 1932. He later became the company's president. Kobayashi was appointed to the Japanese cabinet as Minister of Commerce and Industry in 1940. Following WW II, a directive from US General MacArthur demanded his retirement. In 1951, Kobayashi returned to helm Toho, a position he held through 1955 when he turned the reins over to his son Fusao Kobayashi. He remained a consultant to the company through his death in 1960. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi