NHK names Tatsuhiko Inoue as next president
December 10, 2025 11.19 Europe/London By Julian Clover


Japan’s public broadcaster NHK has named its vice president Tatsuhiko Inoue as its next president, the first time in almost two decades that the top job has gone to an internal candidate.

NHK’s Board of Governors approved the appointment on 8 December. Inoue will begin a three-year term on 25 January 2026, succeeding Nobuo Inaba when his mandate ends the previous day.

A career NHK journalist and executive, Inoue joined the broadcaster in 1980 and rose through political and foreign affairs reporting roles before becoming head of the political news division and later director of programming, overseeing schedule and editorial strategy in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. He subsequently moved onto the executive board and ran technology affiliates NHK I-Tech and satellite operator B-SAT, before being appointed executive vice president in 2023.

Inoue will be the first NHK insider to lead the organisation since Genichi Hashimoto, after six successive presidents were recruited from outside the corporation. He takes over at a time when NHK is facing pressure on its reception-fee income and adapting its role as a licence-fee funded public service media group in a digital and streaming-led market.

At his press conference, Inoue identified key priorities including accelerating digital transformation, expanding NHK’s international footprint, developing new talent and stabilising fee revenues. He said he saw NHK’s management and group companies as a “single, united force” in meeting those challenges.