Issued by Nikkei Inc. on February 10 2026
Nikkei Inc. today announced that Nobuhisa Iida will become President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nikkei, replacing Tsuyoshi Hasebe, who will assume the post of Chairman and Group CEO. Current Chairman, Naotoshi Okada, will become Corporate Adviser. The nominations are set to be approved at a meeting of the board of directors on March 26, following the annual shareholders meeting.
Iida, 62, is currently a Senior Managing Director, overseeing Information Services and Index Business. Before that, he held positions including Editor-in-Chief of Nikkei’s Editorial Headquarters for Asia.
“As the next President of Nikkei, I will further advance our mission to build a quality media organization that continues to grow,” Iida said. “We will boldly embrace the use of generative AI, while remaining firmly committed to the principle that responsible journalism is driven by people.”
Iida will lead Japan’s oldest economic newspaper with a 150-year history. He said Nikkei would continue to deliver trusted content and services to audiences in Japan and around the world, in partnership with the Financial Times, which Nikkei acquired in 2015.
Hasebe’s corporate strategy has been based on two driving forces: global expansion and digital innovation. The number of paid subscribers to the digital edition of the Nikkei surpassed one million in December 2024. Nikkei, Nikkei Asia, and the Financial Times have a combined paid subscription that ranks third in the world.
“During my tenure as president, I instituted the group’s purpose, ‘better insights for a better world,’ and pursued a steadfast commitment to quality journalism,” Hasebe said. He added that as Chairman and Group CEO, he will continue to strengthen the combined Nikkei-FT Group.
“Standing shoulder to shoulder with our partner, the Financial Times, we will ensure our continued growth, becoming the strongest global media organization,” Hasebe said. “At a time when the global order founded on democracy and freedom faces strong headwinds, we are committed to safeguarding the value of Nikkei as it marks its 150th anniversary.”
Profile - Nobuhisa Iida
1987: Graduated from Chuo University, Joined Nikkei Inc.
2020: Executive Officer, Head of Digital Business, Digital editing Unit
2022: Managing Executive Officer, Information Services
2023: Managing Director, Information Services
2024: Managing Director, Information Services and Index Business
2025: Senior Managing Director, Information Services and Index Business
About Nikkei
Nikkei Inc. is a world-renowned media brand for Asian news, respected for quality journalism and for being a trusted provider of business news and information. Founded as a market news provider in Japan in 1876, Nikkei has grown into one of the world’s largest media corporations, with 37 foreign editorial bureaus and approximately 1,500 journalists worldwide. Nikkei acquired the UK-based Financial Times in 2015. Our combined digital and print circulation totals about 2.5 million, and we are continually deploying new technologies to increase our readership.