Longtime Mitsubishi Executive Dies

Longtime Mitsubishi Motors Corp. executive Kazue Naganuma, chief executive of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America from 1986-93 and executive advisor to the Cypress-based company since 1997, died Thursday of heart failure. He was 60.

Naganuma started his career with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. as a cost accountant in 1960 and joined Mitsubishi Motors when it was formed in 1971.

He moved to the United States as vice president and treasurer of Mitsubishi Motors America Inc. in 1974--when the fledgling company was called MMC Services Inc.--and returned to Japan in 1977 as regional manager of the car maker’s North American marketing group.

Naganuma later transferred back to the U.S. as executive vice president of MMC Services and was instrumental in planning Mitsubishi’s joint venture with Chrysler Corp. to build an automotive manufacturing plant in Illinois.

As president and chief executive of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America he oversaw the company’s sales, marketing and distribution activities in North America. He returned to Japan in 1993 to help run Mitsubishi Motors’ international business operation and serve as a corporate director.

In 1995 Naganuma became corporate general manager. He returned to Southern California in 1997 as executive advisor to Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America.

A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar. Naganuma, who was a Tustin resident, is survived by his wife, Machiko, and two sons, Masaharu and Sei.