NJPW & STARDOM Parent Company Bushiroad Founder Appointed New Chairperson

The founder of Bushiroad, NJPW and STARDOM’s parent company, is set to assume the title of chairperson for the company. Bushiroad announced on Friday (per Anime News Network that Takaaki Kidani has been appointed the chairperson of the company and will also return to his position of representative director alongside Bushiroad president Yoshitaka Hashimoto.

The announcement noted that the change in positions were the result of COVID-19 and the resulting state of emergency in Japan as declared by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe resulting in the postponements and cancellations of the live events. Having two representative directors, the announcement said, will allow Bushiroad strengthen top management and promote further growth and enterprise value.

Kidani founded the company in 2017, but exited the position of representative director position October 2017 in order to take a position as board member where he could directly lead and manage the production of content more effectively.

In addition to NJPW and STARDOM, Bushiroad is known for its production of collectible card games, anime and video games.