The Japan Association of Corporate Executives, or Keizai Doyukai, decided Tuesday to appoint IBM Japan General Manager and President Akio Yamaguchi as its new chairperson.
Yamaguchi, 61, will assume the post, which has been vacant since former Suntory Chairman and CEO Takeshi Niinami resigned on Sept. 30 over a police investigation into supplements he bought. The appointment, approved at an extraordinary executive meeting, will take effect on Jan. 1 next year.
The new chairman will face the challenge of rebuilding the association following the turmoil caused by Niinami’s abrupt resignation, while also strengthening the association’s influence in revitalizing the Japanese economy.
Yamaguchi, who has served as vice chairman of the association since April 2022, will be the first Keizai Doyukai chairperson from IBM Japan since Kakutaro Kitashiro, who took on the post in 2003.
A native of Wakayama Prefecture, Yamaguchi joined IBM Japan in 1987, before becoming president in May 2019.
AloJapan.com