NEWS
Takahiro Yamauchi to lead Japan’s CyberAgent, appointment kicks off four-year handover process; leadership change coincides with Abema TV’s first profit
17 November 2025
Susumu Fujita, the founder and president of Japanese media/gaming giant CyberAgent, has picked Takahiro Yamauchi as his successor after a three-and-a-half-year selection process.
Fujita, who announced his intention to step down in Spring 2022, will become chairman. Shareholders are expected to ratify the decision at a meeting on 12 December.
The appointment, announced on Friday (14 Nov), kicks off a four-year handover process.
By 2027, Yamauchi will announce his own medium to long-term vision, followed in 2029 by assuming 80% of the president’s duties.
Among Yamauchi’s commitments is the creation of globally competitive original IP – a goal he shares with the broader Japanese creative industry.
Yamauchi, who joined the company as a new graduate in 2006, was among 16 would-be next-gen leaders involved in the race to lead the 27-year-old company.
He is currently president and representative director of CyberZ, a unit he established in April 2009, as well as senior managing executive officer at CyberAgent. He is also Abema TV’s director and COO, and the head of CyberAgent’s Anime & IP Business Division.
During the announcement, Yamauchi said that “while often portrayed as a ‘president race’, we approached it as a collective challenge… Over the past three and a half years, we have built a shared commitment to growing the company as the next generation of leadership”.
Talking about the transition, Fujita said that since its founding in 1998 CyberAgent had achieved 28 consecutive years of revenue growth.
“From our origins in internet advertising to the expansion of our gaming division and the establishment of ABEMA as part of social infrastructure, our success may appear to be the result of good fortune. In reality, it stems from our unwavering commitment to confronting potential future challenges head-on and continuously cultivating new pillars of business,” he said.
He also talked about culture at mobile advertising subsidiary, CyberZ, includ...
Susumu Fujita, the founder and president of Japanese media/gaming giant CyberAgent, has picked Takahiro Yamauchi as his successor after a three-and-a-half-year selection process.
Fujita, who announced his intention to step down in Spring 2022, will become chairman. Shareholders are expected to ratify the decision at a meeting on 12 December.
The appointment, announced on Friday (14 Nov), kicks off a four-year handover process.
By 2027, Yamauchi will announce his own medium to long-term vision, followed in 2029 by assuming 80% of the president’s duties.
Among Yamauchi’s commitments is the creation of globally competitive original IP – a goal he shares with the broader Japanese creative industry.
Yamauchi, who joined the company as a new graduate in 2006, was among 16 would-be next-gen leaders involved in the race to lead the 27-year-old company.
He is currently president and representative director of CyberZ, a unit he established in April 2009, as well as senior managing executive officer at CyberAgent. He is also Abema TV’s director and COO, and the head of CyberAgent’s Anime & IP Business Division.
During the announcement, Yamauchi said that “while often portrayed as a ‘president race’, we approached it as a collective challenge… Over the past three and a half years, we have built a shared commitment to growing the company as the next generation of leadership”.
Talking about the transition, Fujita said that since its founding in 1998 CyberAgent had achieved 28 consecutive years of revenue growth.
“From our origins in internet advertising to the expansion of our gaming division and the establishment of ABEMA as part of social infrastructure, our success may appear to be the result of good fortune. In reality, it stems from our unwavering commitment to confronting potential future challenges head-on and continuously cultivating new pillars of business,” he said.
He also talked about culture at mobile advertising subsidiary, CyberZ, including the “Stop Procrastination Meeting”.
“This culture of relentlessly eliminating procrastination is essential for sustainable growth. It is crucial to pass on this culture of continuous transformation, even as the company transitions to second- and third-generation presidents,” he said.
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