Jiro Ushio, a former head of Japan's major business lobby and the founder of lighting equipment maker Ushio Inc., has died, the company said Wednesday. He was 92.

Ushio, a former chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, or Keizai Doyukai, was a heavyweight in Japanese economic circles. He is known for his strong ties with the Japanese government for being a member of an economic policy panel.

Ushio, a native of Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, died of aspiration pneumonia on June 13, the company said.

He was chairman of the association for four years from April 1995 and served in the government's Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy from 2001 to 2006.

He also maintained close relations with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated by a gunman last year.

Ushio founded the company and became president in 1964 and chairman in 1979. He stepped down as chairman in 2020 after leading the company for more than half a century.

==Kyodo

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