JAPAN (CelebrityAccess) – Dr. Kenji Kitatani, the Chairman of DAZN Japan, has been appointed as the new Chairman of Warner Music Japan. With a career spanning over four decades in global media and entertainment, Kitatani brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He will collaborate closely with Kazuyuki “Kaz” Kobayashi, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Warner Music Japan, to enhance the company’s presence in Japan, the world’s second-largest music market.
Kitatani’s career began in academia, with faculty positions at Washington State University and Indiana University. He transitioned into broadcasting in the 1980s, holding senior international executive roles at Nippon Television Network and Tokyo Broadcasting System. In 1989, he joined Tokyo Dome Corporation as a Board Director and served as President of its American subsidiaries in New York. He later moved to Sony Corporation, where he held dual roles as Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of Sony Corporation of America. Between 2011 and 2017, he was the President of Avex International Holdings, Japan’s largest independent music entertainment conglomerate.
Afterward, Kitatani served as Executive Vice President (EVP) of Asia and Executive Director for Japan at AEG. He then took on advisory roles at Broadmedia, Mitsubishi, and NTT Docomo before becoming Chairman of DAZN Japan last year. In addition to his corporate roles, he is a Professor and Director at the Institute for Content and Technology Integration at the Kanazawa Institute of Technology and regularly contributes to Forbes Japan.
Kobayashi expressed his excitement about Kitatani joining Warner Music, stating, “I’m delighted to welcome Dr. Kenji Kitatani to Warner Music and am pleased that such a distinguished executive has agreed to take on this challenge. We’ve achieved a lot in the last decade at Warner Music Japan, but our industry never stands still, and we need to continue to adapt if we are to keep being the first choice for our country’s most exciting artists.”
Kitatani also expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “This is an exciting time in the Japanese music industry. I’m delighted to take up this new role at Warner Music, working with Kaz on the company’s continuing evolution as we build the most forward-thinking label in the Japanese market.”
