Engineer. Son of the feudal lord of the Otaki clan, Masatada Okochi. He became an adopted heir to shishaku (viscount) Nobuyoshi Okochi shishaku (viscount) of the Yoshida clan in 1898. He graduated from the Shipbuilding section of the Engineering College of the Imperial University of Tokyo in 1903. After serving as instructor and assistant-professor, he became a professor at the university in 1911. He was selected as a member of the House of Peers in 1915. He took the position of researcher at Rikagaku Kenkyujo (Institute of Physical and Chemical Research) in 1918 and became its director in 1921. He adopted a special laboratory system for research and succeeded in making international contributions. In addition, in order to promote the industrialization of research results, he founded the Rikagaku Kogyo in 1927. He advocated "industrial scientism" and its affiliated companies as forming part of Riken Konzern numbered over 60. He was selected as a member of the House of Peers again in 1938. He was arrested suspected of being a war criminal in 1945, but released the following year. He was purged from public office in 1947. Eng. d..