Takehiro Sugiyama, the president of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, has been appointed as the new owner of professional baseball Hanshin.
This is the first time that someone from Hankyu Corporation has been appointed as the owner of a Hanshin baseball team.
Mr. Sugiyama, who became the owner of Hanshin on the 21st, is 64 years old from Hyogo Prefecture.
He joined Hankyu Corporation in 1982, and in 2006, he was in charge of management integration with Hanshin Electric Railway as the General Manager of Corporate Planning Department of "Hankyu Holdings".
After that, he successively served as the president of Hankyu Corporation, and now he is the president of "Hankyu Hanshin Holdings", which is the first time that a person from Hankyu Corporation has been appointed as the owner of a Hanshin baseball team.
On the other hand, Mr. Masao Hata, president of Hanshin Electric Railway, will take over as representative director and team chairman, who was also the former owner Takaki Fujiwara, on the 21st, and attention will be paid to how the team will be managed in the future.
At a press conference, Mr. Sugiyama said, "I'm not conscious of the fact that I'm from Hankyu Railway. I think the fans are most looking forward to winning. I want to give my best to the team," he said.
In addition, Mr. Fujiwara, who served as the owner for four years, said, "The reason for my retirement was physical strength. It was a pity that I could not deliver the victory to the fans. Amidst the restrictions due to Corona, we are passionately cheering. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing this."