EL SEGUNDO, CA. September 1997 - International Rectifier Corp. (NYSE/PSE:IRF) Monday announced the election of Minoru Matsuda to its board of directors, bringing the number of board members to 10.

From 1960 to 1997, Matsuda held a variety of management positions in the areas of sales, marketing, investment, business planning and intellectual property with Hitachi Ltd. and its American subsidiary Hitachi America Ltd. Posts included general manager of operations in Indonesia; manager of the Planning Department for International Operations; and senior counsel, Intellectual Property.

A member of the New York State Bar, Matsuda served as visiting professor at George Washington University School of Law from 1994 to 1995. In March 1997, he retired from Hitachi and accepted a professorship at Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan's largest institution of higher education specializing in engineering and technology.

Matsuda holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law as well as a master's degree in comparative jurisprudence from New York University School of Law. He also completed a program of study in management development at the Harvard University School of Business.

International Rectifier Chairman Eric Lidow commented: ``Minoru Matsuda brings to the board a wealth of experience in international business and the management of technology and engineering enterprises. We welcome his contribution to the leadership of the company.''