{"rewrite":{"id":"r_6130f0a5c83b210f6a4dafb6","clusterId":"c_37ac9afb031ea602601e62e1","slug":"smile-up-president-noriyuki-higashiyama-steps-down","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Smile Up President Noriyuki Higashiyama Steps Down","summary":"Smile Up announced Monday that President and Representative Director Noriyuki Higashiyama and Managing Director Akira Abe will step down when their terms expire on October 1. Lawyer Masayuki Yamada, currently an executive in charge of compliance, becomes President and Representative Director, with Takayuki Jin as Managing Director. The board cited anticipated legal procedures and decisions. Smile Up continues handling compensation for victims of late founder Johnny Kitagawa, and will shut down once those measures finish.","whyItMatters":"The agency handling compensation for Kitagawa's victims is handing its presidency to its compliance lawyer, a signal the remaining work is legal and administrative rather than managerial.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eBoth exits take effect October 1, when the terms of Higashiyama and Managing Director Akira Abe expire. Masayuki Yamada, a lawyer now serving as an executive in charge of compliance, takes over as President and Representative Director; Takayuki Jin becomes Managing Director.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe board said the restructuring is appropriate given legal procedures and decisions it expects to face. The company still handles compensation for victims of late founder Johnny Kitagawa, a process that began in November 2023, and it plans to shut down once that work is complete.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Smile Up president Noriyuki Higashiyama and managing director Akira Abe step down October 1. Compliance executive Masayuki Yamada becomes president, Takayuki Jin managing director. The agency still runs Kitagawa victim compensation and will close when it ends.","twitterPost":"Smile Up president Noriyuki Higashiyama and managing director Akira Abe step down October 1. Compliance executive Masayuki Yamada becomes president, Takayuki Jin managing director. Kitagawa victim compensation continues; the agency closes when it ends.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Smile Up announced that President Noriyuki Higashiyama and Managing Director Akira Abe are stepping down on October 1, with compliance executive Masayuki Yamada taking the presidency and Takayuki Jin the managing director post. The board said the change suits the legal procedures it expects ahead. The agency continues handling compensation for victims of late founder Johnny Kitagawa and will shut down after that process ends.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-28/smile-up-president-noriyuki-higashiyama-steps-down/.242274\",\"title\":\"Smile Up President Noriyuki Higashiyama Steps Down\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4632,"outputTokens":590,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791089967,"createdAt":"2026-10-04T04:55:44.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-04T04:58:22.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T04:58:22.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_37ac9afb031ea602601e62e1","canonicalTitle":"News\nSmile Up President Noriyuki Higashiyama Steps Down","representativeArticleId":"a_c1263a6b07076f4cd72c7739","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Smile Up\"],\"people\":[\"Noriyuki Higashiyama\",\"Johnny Kitagawa\"],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-28T21:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-28T21:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T04:58:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-28/smile-up-president-noriyuki-higashiyama-steps-down/.242274","title":"News\nSmile Up President Noriyuki Higashiyama Steps Down"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Smile Up"],"people":["Noriyuki Higashiyama","Johnny Kitagawa"],"type":"business","domain":"industry","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}