Takayanagi served as IEC president from 2002 to 2004, having previously represented Japan on the IEC council board (CB).
Prior to this Takayanagi worked at Toshiba for many years, rising eventually to the director of the company’s R&D centre. With a background in applied physics, Takayanagi was subsequently appointed senior executive vice president, with the ultimate responsibility for Toshiba’s technological development policy.
During his tenure at the IEC, he presided over the inauguration of the IEC Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (IEC-APRC) in Singapore. He also attended his first IEC General Meeting (GM) as president in Beijing, China in late October 2002.
During the event he conducted a special meeting with then-Chinese president Jiang Zemin, who committed to adopting all IEC Standards applicable in China by 2005.
In a statement, the IEC said it was sending "its deepest condolences to his family and friends."