Key Points
- JT announces multiple executive and board changes effective from 2026 to support profit growth and corporate value.
- Takehiko Tsutsui to become President and CEO on January 1, 2026, with Representative Director appointment pending shareholder approval.
- Masamichi Terabatake to step down as CEO, remain on the board, and is proposed as Deputy Chairperson.
- Board nominations include Kyoto University Professor Yukiko Uchida; two current members will resign.
- Several executive officer appointments and role adjustments will take effect in early 2026.
2Firsts, November 26, 2025 — According to a statement by Japan Tobacco Inc., the company’s Board of Directors has approved new and revised executive appointments that include changes to Representative Directors, board roles and executive officer responsibilities.
The announcement states that JT will revise its management structure to support sustainable profit growth and strengthen corporate value. Takehiko Tsutsui, currently Executive Vice President at JT International S.A., has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2026. His appointment as Representative Director is subject to ratification at the 41st Annual General Meeting scheduled for March 25, 2026.
Current President and CEO Masamichi Terabatake will step down on January 1, 2026, assume a role as Member of the Board, and—pending shareholder approval—become Deputy Chairperson of the Board.
The board changes include the nomination of Yukiko Uchida, Director (Professor) at Kyoto University’s Institute for the Future of Human Society, as a new Member of the Board. Chairperson Mutsuo Iwai and Member of the Board Yukiko Nagashima will resign at the conclusion of the 41st Annual General Meeting. If approved, Shigeaki Okamoto will be appointed Chairperson of the Board.
Among executive officer appointments effective January 1, 2026, Tsutsui will concurrently serve as President of the Tobacco Business. Adam Vilalta will assume the role of Senior Vice President, Marketing, Tobacco Business, Japan, while several officers will see modifications to their areas of responsibility, including Hisashi Shimobayashi becoming Senior Vice President, Chief Technology & Information Security Officer.
Additional changes relate to the transition of JT’s pharmaceutical business to Shionogi & Co., Ltd., including adjustments effective December 1, 2025, and the resignation of two pharmaceutical executives at the end of November 2025.
JT also provided supplementary materials outlining proposed board and executive officer structures as of January 1 and March 25, 2026.
