Photo: 経済産業省ウェブサイト / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Honestly, I didn't know the name Takeshi Uchiyamada until I started digging, and that's kind of the point — this is the guy who led the engineering team that built the original Toyota Prius in the 1990s, arguably one of the most consequential cars ever made, and he did it without becoming a household name. Born in Nagoya in 1946, Nagoya University-trained, he's the rare breed of executive who actually came up through the engineering side and never forgot it. The Blue Ribbon Medal and the Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun don't land in your lap by accident — Japan's government doesn't hand those out for being a nice guy at meetings. There's something quietly impressive about a person who helped reshape the entire global auto industry toward hybrid and electric and still isn't on anyone's celebrity radar. The world runs on people like him, and most of us never notice.
Overview
Takeshi Uchiyamada is a Japanese business executive born on August 17, 1946, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. He graduated from Nagoya University and built a career in industry that earned him two of Japan's highest honors: the Blue Ribbon Medal (藍綬褒章) and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (旭日大綬章). A member of the postwar generation that lived through Japan's rapid economic growth, he is recognized as a key figure in Japanese corporate and industrial leadership.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Takeshi Uchiyamada
- Name (Japanese)
- 内山田竹志
- Reading
- うちやまだ たけし
- Born
- August 17, 1946 (age 79)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Dog (戌)
- Origin
- Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- Entrepreneur / Business Executive
2. Background
- University
- Nagoya University
Awards & achievements
- Blue Ribbon Medal (藍綬褒章)
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (旭日大綬章)
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%86%85%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%AB%B9%E5%BF%97
Frequently asked questions
When was Takeshi Uchiyamada born?
Born August 17, 1946 (age 79).
Where is Takeshi Uchiyamada from?
Takeshi Uchiyamada is from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
What does Takeshi Uchiyamada do?
Takeshi Uchiyamada works as Entrepreneur, Business Executive.
Entrepreneur — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.