Akira Chiba

Akira Chiba

Akira Chiba was the president of Pokémon USA from 2002 until 2007. Born in Japan, he currently resides in New York City.

Biography

Chiba gained a degree in business administration from Kobe University in Japan, and went on to found a residential real estate magazine, New York Living, before joining PUSA. As president, he set up subsidiaries of many Japanese companies in the US. He also made several controversial decisions, such as the recasting of the Pokémon anime. During his five-year tenure, the Pokémon Trading Figure Game was also launched.

He stepped down from his role at the end of 2007, to pursue other interests. His successor, Kenji Okubo, was the former executive vice-president and head of PUSA's Seattle office.