The Nintendo of America President Minoru Arakawa has retired after 22 years. Get all the official details, and find out who the successor will be.
REDMOND, Wash.--Jan. 7, 2002--Minoru Arakawa, President of
Nintendo of America Inc. (NOA) for the past 22 years, today announced
his retirement effective immediately.
After many months of consideration, Arakawa felt the timing was
appropriate to turn the office over to new leadership.
"The U.S. video game industry is extremely strong and NOA's
position within the industry has never been better," said Arakawa.
"The recent impressive marketplace successes of both Game Boy Advance
and the NINTENDO GAMECUBE coupled with NOA's unparalleled financial
and management resources allow me the opportunity to pursue new
endeavors."
Nintendo of America Board Member Howard Lincoln, currently CEO of
the Seattle Mariners said: "Minoru Arakawa's significant contributions
to the success of NOA and the development of the U.S. video game
industry are unequaled and widely acclaimed. Many of Arakawa's
initiatives have become industry standards, largely responsible for
the unprecedented strength of interactive entertainment today."
In a separate announcement made in Kyoto, Japan, Nintendo Co.
Ltd., the parent company of NOA, announced Mr. Arakawa would be
succeeded by Mr. Tatsumi Kimishima.
Mr. Kimishima has been with NCL for the past two years serving
most recently as Chief Financial Officer of The Pokemon Company and
President of Pokemon U.S.A., Inc. A native of Japan, Mr. Kimishima
spent over 25 years with the Sanwa Bank in several management roles
including nearly seven years in New York and California. Mr. Kimishima
will assume his new responsibilities effective immediately.
As the worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of
interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co. Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan,
manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home
video game systems. The systems include Game Boy(R), Nintendo(R) 64,
Game Boy Advance and NINTENDO GAMECUBE. Since the release of its first
home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.4
billion video games worldwide, creating enduring industry icons such
as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R) and launching such franchises as
Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of
America, Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for
Nintendo's operation in the Western Hemisphere.
For more information on Nintendo, visit the company's Web site, www.nintendo.com.