{"rewrite":{"id":"r_e380279a9453688de6b435cb","clusterId":"c_bd334aa74e9e90fd8fced2dc","slug":"aniplex-president-iwakami-to-become-sony-music-ceo-in-april","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Aniplex President Iwakami to Become Sony Music CEO in April","summary":"Aniplex president Atsuhiro Iwakami will become the next president and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, effective April 2026, as reported by the Nikkei and covered by Animenomics. Iwakami, who has led Aniplex for ten years, will be the first executive with a video production background to head the Japanese music giant. The appointment reflects the growing influence of Aniplex within Sony Music Group, as more than half of Sony Music's sales in Japan now come from non-music sources, including Aniplex. Aniplex produced both \"Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle,\" the highest-grossing anime film globally, and \"Kokuho,\" Japan's highest-grossing live-action film. External revenue from Sony Music's visual media and platform business, which includes Aniplex, rose 42.8 percent in the nine months ended December 2025 compared to the same period last year. Prior to leading Aniplex, Iwakami worked on productions such as the \"Monogatari\" series, \"Puella Magi Madoka Magica,\" and \"Sword Art Online,\" and produced the mobile game \"Fate/Grand Order\" and the \"Demon Slayer\" anime adaptation.","whyItMatters":"The appointment signals Sony Music's shift toward positioning itself as a broader entertainment company, with anime and visual media now driving a majority of its revenue.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eAniplex president Atsuhiro Iwakami will take over as president and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Japan in April 2026, according to a report by the Nikkei cited by Animenomics. Iwakami has led Aniplex for a decade, overseeing the production of major anime titles and the mobile game Fate/Grand Order. His appointment marks the first time an executive with a video production background will lead Sony Music, which has seen its non-music revenue, largely from Aniplex, surpass music sales. Anime industry journalist Tadashi Sudo noted that the move allows Sony Music to promote itself as a company covering anime, live-action films, characters, internet services, and events. Aniplex's recent box office successes include Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and the live-action film Kokuho. The visual media and platform business segment, which includes Aniplex, reported a 42.8 percent revenue increase for the nine months ending December 2025 versus the prior year.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Aniplex president Atsuhiro Iwakami, who produced Demon Slayer and Fate/Grand Order, will become Sony Music CEO in April-the first video-production exec to lead the music giant.","twitterPost":"Sony Music's next CEO comes from Aniplex, not music. More than half of its Japan sales now come from anime and visual media. A sign of where the money is.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Aniplex president Atsuhiro Iwakami will become Sony Music Entertainment Japan's CEO in April, marking the first time a video production executive leads the music giant. The move reflects Aniplex's growing revenue share within Sony Music, where non-music sales now exceed half of total revenue.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Animenomics\",\"url\":\"https://news.animenomics.com/p/aniplex-chief-appointed-next-sony-music-ceo\",\"title\":\"Aniplex chief appointed next Sony Music CEO\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":6013,"outputTokens":773,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1780215516,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T08:06:50.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-31T08:10:33.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T08:10:33.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_bd334aa74e9e90fd8fced2dc","canonicalTitle":"Aniplex chief appointed next Sony Music CEO","representativeArticleId":"a_0790722fb0fd4106044a892e","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":1,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Aniplex\",\"Sony Music\",\"Toho\",\"Bandai Namco\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":true}","contentType":"business","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-02-11T13:02:39.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-02-11T13:02:39.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T08:10:34.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Animenomics","url":"https://news.animenomics.com/p/aniplex-chief-appointed-next-sony-music-ceo","title":"Aniplex chief appointed next Sony Music CEO"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Aniplex","Sony Music","Toho","Bandai Namco"],"people":[],"type":"business","domain":"industry","is_roundup":true},"keyFacts":["Atsuhiro Iwakami, president of Aniplex, will become president and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Japan in April 2026.","Iwakami is the first executive with a video production background to lead Sony Music Entertainment Japan.","More than half of Sony Music's sales in Japan now come from non-music sources, including Aniplex.","Aniplex produced 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle,' the highest-grossing anime film globally, and 'Kokuho,' Japan's highest-grossing live-action film.","Revenue from Sony Music's visual media and platform business, which includes Aniplex, rose 42.8 percent in the nine months ended December 2025 compared to the same period last year."]}