Phantom Leadership at Yakult? Aoki and Ikeyama Appointments Face Resistance Over Miyamoto’s Role

The influence of the late team owner and an executive from a major media company

Following the resignation of Shingo Takatsu (56), who managed the team through this season, Takahiro Ikeyama (59), the second-team manager, has been promoted to first-team manager for Yakult.

“On September 1, reports emerged that Takatsu would step down at the end of this season, and by the 2nd, news of GM Junji Ogawa’s (68) resignation and the internal promotion of Ikeyama to first-team manager were simultaneously reported.

With the team’s chances of winning the league—and even reaching the Climax Series—completely gone, they decided to make a decisive shift toward next season. Fans were hoping that Shinya Miyamoto (54) might take over, given his reputation for strict coaching that could rebuild the team, but that wish was not fulfilled,” said a former team official.

Additionally, Norichika Aoki (43), who supported the team as GM assistant this season, is also expected to assume the GM role next year. The internal promotions of both Ikeyama and Aoki were overseen by Tetsuya Hayashida, acting president and CEO (70).

However, it seems that this personnel decision reflects the influence of someone other than Hayashida, who should have been the top executive in charge of the club’s administration.

“The presence of Takeshi Kinugasa, the former acting owner who passed away in February at age 76 due to heart failure, is still very significant. His presence was so great that Hayashida himself is still affected by it. Especially regarding Aoki’s appointment as GM, Kinugasa’s intentions carry a lot of weight,” the same source said.

Kinugasa had served as Yakult’s team president for 12 years until 2023, exercising strong leadership.

“Not only did he back the team’s league championships and Japan Series victories, but he also supported Aoki’s move to Major League Baseball and even allowed the popular mascot Tsubakuro to move under free agency while off the field. He was known as a man of ideas.

For this reason, Hayashida and others structured the personnel decisions with the thought of ‘What would Kinugasa have done?’ rather than merely rebuilding the current team.

Kinugasa personally adored Aoki, often saying, ‘He is Yakult’s treasure. In the future, whether as GM or manager, he should be allowed to take the role he wants.’ Therefore, before deciding on the managerial successor, they first asked Aoki about his intentions. Since he desired a front-office role, GM Ogawa stepped down and was shifted laterally to GM. If Aoki had wanted to be the manager, preparations were in place to appoint him to that role as well,” a team insider said.

Regarding Ikeyama’s internal promotion, it is said that the views of a team executive seconded from a company deeply involved with the team heavily influenced the decision.

“That executive opposed the idea of appointing Shinya Miyamoto, who had been expected by fans, saying, ‘If his strict coaching of young players causes problems as harassment, it would be a compliance issue.’ However, the company from which the executive was seconded had recently been embroiled in a major compliance violation that made headlines. Employees were exasperated, saying, ‘What about our own company?!’

Also, there are opinions such as, ‘This ghost of past decisions drags things along, and Norichika Aoki’s reign will continue for a while. Can someone with no managerial experience really handle the top of operations right away?’ Reports have even prompted baseball insiders to start pitching to Aoki himself,” the source added.

Can Yakult hope to rebuild the team under these circumstances?

A special issue revisiting Shohei Ohtani’s 2025 season is on sale:

“Shohei Ohtani ~Return of the Two-Way Player~ Endless Blue Ambition BEST SHOT 2025!!”

It includes rare photos documenting this season, in which Ohtani became only the sixth player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs in consecutive seasons, achieving the historic 55-55 record with 55 home runs and 55 strikeouts for the first time.

Available at bookstores and online stores.

Purchase here.