“I’m seeing this as a calling that I have been picked to be in charge of this crucial task of rebuilding Toshiba, which is considered as one of Japan’s precious assets,” says Kurumatani. “I’m going to dedicate myself with all that I have and also with vigilance.”

When he was offered the job he says he was “very surprised, but took the offer without much hesitation”.

He reckons that Toshiba will be stronger for its near-death experience.

“I have faced challenges without running away from them. An organisation and its employees both become stronger after overcoming difficult situations,” he says. “I think that it’s in the midst of difficulties that you can most clearly see the path forward.”

For him the immediate job ahead is cleaning up the company’s finances which, as a former Sumitomo banker, he is well qualified to do.

However he also appears to be attuned to Toshiba’s soul as a great pioneering technology company.

“This company has a long and impressive record of creating new technologies and turning them into massive businesses and I see my most important responsibility as reactivating this DNA,” he says.

He takes a philosophical approach to the troubles of the past two years. “Any great company with a long history will go through some hard times,” says Kurumatani.