Iijima Akimi (飯島彰己), 75, who has been selected to become the next commissioner of Nippon Professional Baseball, is reportedly set to take office as its 16th commissioner. Meanwhile, incumbent Commissioner Sakakibara Sadanobu (榊原定征) will change from commissioner to adviser.
Iijima Akimi (飯島彰己) has reportedly been selected as the next commissioner at an owners' meeting of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) held in Tokyo. Iijima, who is scheduled to become the 16th commissioner, previously served as president and chairman of Mitsui & Co. and as vice chairman of the Japan Business Federation.
Iijima began his career in the metals and mineral resources sector after graduating from Eikoh Gakuen and Yokohama National University and joining Mitsui & Co. in 1974. He became president and representative director in 2009 and served as chairman and representative director from 2015 to 2021. Since leaving the company, he has also served as an outside director of SoftBank Group and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, among others.
He is scheduled to formally take office on 7 December following a decision at the owners' meeting in November. After leaving office, Commissioner Sakakibara Sadanobu (榊原定征) is expected to remain involved in the organization's operations as an adviser.