Morita was born on 26th January 1921 in Nagoya, Japan. As the oldest sibling he was trained to take over the family business. However Morita found himself being interested in physics and mathematics. He graduated from Osaka Imperial University in 1944. Morita moved his family to New York City in 1963. He wanted to learn all he could about Americans and their culture, so that Sony could design products tailored to the American market. He also spent a lot of time socializing with the rich and powerful elite and was able to build lasting relationships with many of America’s business and political leaders.Morita received several awards for his outstanding achievements. He was given the Albert Medal by the UK’s Royal Society of Arts in 1982. In 1984 he received the Legion of Honor and in 1991 the Emperor of Japan gave him the first Class of Order of the Sacred Treasure. In 1987 the University of Manitoba awarded Morita with the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award. He was presented with the honorary British Knighthood in 1993. After his death he was recognized with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. He left the chairmanship of Sony on 25th November 1994. Morita died due to pneumonia in October 1999.