after being educated in the united states at rutgers preparatory school and rutgers university (where he was a member of the delta upsilon fraternity and a member of the freshman football team) kōjirō matsukata became president of kawasaki shipbuilding company ("kawasaki shōzō") in 1896. he then went on to become head of kawasaki dockyards from 1916 through 1923, which was the group's main company.