Tamiya (Shizuoka City) has announced that Chairman and President Shunsaku Tamiya (89), who has grown the company into a global toy and plastic model manufacturer, will step down as president at the end of June. He will remain as chairman and retain representative authority. Managing Director Nobuo Tamiya (37), husband of Shunsaku’s granddaughter, will take over as president on July 1.

As chairman, he will be involved in management for the time being, and also serves as chairman of the Shizuoka Model Teaching Materials Cooperative, which organizes the Shizuoka Hobby Show. Shunsaku joined Tamiya Shoji (now Tamiya) in 1958. In 1984, he became president as the second generation founder of the company, and was involved in the transition from wooden models to plastic models and the development of Mini 4WD. In 2008, he handed over the presidency to his son-in-law, Masayuki Tamiya, who passed away in 2017, and Shunsaku returned to the presidency.

The new president, Nobuo, is from Shizuoka City. After working at Azsa Audit Corporation and other companies, he joined the company in 2020 and became executive director in 2022. He was involved in the construction of a new office building for the manufacturing subsidiary in the Philippines, and the launch of the flagship store “Tamiya Plastic Model Factory Tokyo” (Shinbashi, Tokyo), which relocated and opened in May. He will work to expand the base of enthusiasts, including beginners and young people, which is an issue.
Source: Nikkei