Mitsubishi Motors Appoints Keisuke Kishihara as New President and COO, Effective April 2026

On January 21, Mitsubishi Motors announced that Keisuke Kishihara, currently General Manager of the Corporate Planning Division, will officially assume the role of President on April 1, 2026, and concurrently take on the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO), overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations. Current President Takao Kato will remain as CEO and is scheduled to transition to Chairman in June of the same year, focusing on the company’s overall strategic direction. Kishihara brings extensive international management experience, having held positions at Mitsubishi Motors’ operations in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States. This leadership reshuffle comes at a critical time for Mitsubishi, which faces significant challenges: global sales continue to slump, with net profit for the current fiscal year projected to plummet by 76%, and the future of its partnership with Nissan—as well as the broader alliance among Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi—remains uncertain and urgently requires clarification.