Konosuke Matsushita

Konosuke Matsushita (1894–1989) was a Japanese industrialist and the founder of Panasonic. Beyond building one of Japan’s largest electronics companies, he became known as a major thinker on ethical capitalism and leadership philosophy. In 1946 he also founded the PHP Institute (Peace and Happiness through Prosperity) to promote social and moral reflection in postwar Japan. PHP stands for Peace and Happiness through Prosperity, reflecting Matsushita’s belief that economic prosperity should serve moral and social well-being.

The institute began as a think tank and magazine publisher focused on ethics, philosophy, leadership, and social development in postwar Japan. It later expanded into books across business, self-help, philosophy, and literature and remains an influential Japanese publisher today.

Matsushita is also the author of Japanese phenomenon The Path, which has sold 5.7 million copies since its first publication in 1968.