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Tsuyoshi Hasebe will become the new chair and group chief executive of Nikkei as Japan’s largest business-focused media company — the owner of the Financial Times — adapts to the rise of generative AI and rapid change in its domestic and international markets.
Naotoshi Okada, the current chair of the 150-year-old publisher and a central figure in its £844mn acquisition of the FT in 2015, will step aside to become corporate adviser.
The changeover puts new leadership in place as Nikkei wrestles with the shift from print to digital and the ageing demographics of its home market in Japan.
Hasebe has pushed Nikkei to be more international and digital, echoing the strategy of many Japanese corporations confronting a shrinking domestic population and dramatic shifts in customer behaviour.
Nikkei’s sales increased 16 per cent from 2020, the last year before Hasebe took over as president, to the latest annual results covering 2024. Net profit rose to ¥8.3bn ($53mn).
Hasebe said that, as chair, he would strive to ensure the continued growth of the employee-owned group as a global media organisation.
“At a time when the global order founded on democracy and freedom faces strong headwinds, we are committed to safeguarding the value of Nikkei as it marks its 150th anniversary,” he said.
Nobuhisa Iida will replace Hasebe as Nikkei’s president and chief executive, responsible for day-to-day management of the parent company.
Iida joined Nikkei as an economics reporter in 1987. He became editor-in-chief of the magazine Nikkei Business and currently runs the company’s information services and index business.
In 2020, as the start of the Covid-19 pandemic triggered widespread changes within corporate Japan, Iida became head of Nikkei’s digital business.
The Nikkei was the first Japanese publication to put its content behind a paywall. By the end of 2024, the number of paid subscribers to the digital edition of the Nikkei had passed 1mn.
Iida said as the pace of change continues to accelerate, he would maintain Nikkei’s focus on quality.
“We will boldly embrace the use of generative AI, while remaining firmly committed to the principle that responsible journalism is driven by people,” he said.
The appointments are subject to board approval after the media group’s annual shareholder meeting on March 26.