Takehiko Tsutsui
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined Japan Tobacco in April 1997. He served as general manager of corporate planning from March 2012, Executive Officer and deputy head of strategy from June 2014, and Executive Officer in charge of business development from January 2016. From January 2020 he was Senior Vice President at JT International S.A. in Switzerland, and from March 2024 Executive Vice President, returning from the front lines of the international tobacco business to become president.
Selection
He became Executive Officer and President in January 2026 and Representative Director and President that March. It was the first change in eight years since Masamichi Terabatake took office in March 2018, and he is the youngest president in the company's history. In domestic heated tobacco the previous year, the company's share rose to 15.7% on the back of Ploom AURA, launched in 2025, moving it up to second place in the second half, but IQOS kept close to 70%. In the FY ended December 2025 consolidated revenue was ¥3,467.6 billion and operating income ¥867.0 billion.
Initiatives
In February 2026 he presented a plan to invest ¥800 billion over three years in reduced-risk products, funded by cigarette earnings. The change came right after the company transferred all shares of Torii Pharmaceutical in September 2025 and its pharmaceutical business to Shionogi in December of that year, and he inherited a business mix narrowed down to tobacco.
Career
Career
Japan Tobacco
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1997 | Joined |
| Mar 2012 | General Manager, Corporate Planning Department |
| Jun 2014 | Executive Officer, Deputy Head of Planning |
| Jan 2016 | Executive Officer, in charge of Business Diberoppumento |
| Jan 2026 | Executive Officer, President |
| Mar 2026 | Representative Director, President |
JT International S.A.
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jan 2020 | Senior Vice President |
| Mar 2024 | Executive Vice President |