Shig Kariya; Co-Founder of Mikasa Inc.

Shig Kariya, 84, a Japanese American businessman who was interned during World War II and later helped co-found the Mikasa Inc. tableware company, died Friday in Silver Spring, Md., of pneumonia.

Kariya was born in Japan to parents who had immigrated to California in 1913 but traveled to Japan frequently on business. He lived in the United States from the age of 4 and in 1934 earned a business degree from Los Angeles City College.

Along with his parents, Kariya was placed in a relocation camp for those of Japanese ancestry through the war years.

After his release, he teamed up with seven others in 1948 to form American Commercial Inc. to import affordable tableware from Japan. The company soon changed its name to Mikasa, which continues to market stylish, mass market china, crystal, flatware and gift items for the home.

Kariya earned Japan’s Emperor’s Award in 1988 for his work in promoting good relations between Japan and the United States. He was a former president of the Japanese American Assn. of New York.