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TMS Entertainment Appoints Tadashi Takezaki as New President

Animation studio TMS Entertainment announced on March 13 that it will appoint current managing director Tadashi Takezaki as its new president, with current president Yoshiharu Suzuki stepping down to the role of vice president, effective April 1. Hideki Okamura, the board chairman, as well as the managing director of Sega Sammy Holdings and the president/COO of Sega Holdings, will retain his post.

TMS Entertainment started in 1946 as Tokyo Movie, but began its animation business in 1964, and was later known with the name Tokyo Movie Shinsha. The company has been producing long-running anime series such as Detective Conan, Soreike! Anpanman, and the various series of the Lupin III franchise. Ghibli co-founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata formerly worked on Tokyo Movie Shinsha anime projects. Sega Sammy Holdings acquired a controlling stake in TMS Entertainment in 2005, and made TMS Entertainment a wholly owned subsidiary in 2010.

TMS Entertainment announced a partnership with the Future Today streaming service in December to show anime. Cinedigm announced its acquisition of Future Today last week.

Sources: TMS Entertainment, Anime Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo)