Sadanobu Sakakibara (榊原定征), commissioner of Nippon Professional Baseball, is expected to step down this autumn, with Mitsui & Co. adviser Iijima Akemi (飯島彰己), 75, set to become the 16th commissioner.
Sadanobu Sakakibara's (榊原定征) tenure as commissioner is expected to end this autumn. If Iijima Akemi (飯島彰己) is formally selected as his successor, he would become the third consecutive commissioner from the business community.
After joining Mitsui & Co., Iijima Akemi (飯島彰己) made his mark in the steel raw materials, resources and energy divisions. He became president in 2009 and served as vice chairman of the Japan Business Federation from 2015. In 2023, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.
Commissioner Sadanobu Sakakibara (榊原定征), who previously served as president of Toray Industries and chairman of the Japan Business Federation, became the 15th commissioner in December 2022. Among the issues identified at the start of his tenure, he promoted the introduction of the designated hitter in the Central League and supported the creation of the Nagashima Award.
Iijima Akemi (飯島彰己) was born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1950 and graduated from Yokohama National University. He joined Mitsui & Co. in 1974 and became president in 2009. In 2023, he became an adviser and has reportedly been viewed as someone who could help advance baseball reform and fiscal rebuilding.