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Canon CEO Fujio Mitarai addresses leadership succession plans
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 08:20 PM
Canon CEO Fujio Mitarai discussed the timeline for his eventual retirement and the conditions for a leadership transition at the company, emphasizing that he will step down once a suitable successor is identified.
Context
Fujio Mitarai, the long-serving leader of Canon, will step down as President on March 27, 2026, marking the company's first presidential transition in a decade. While relinquishing the presidency, the 90-year-old executive will retain his roles as Chairman and CEO to ensure strategic continuity. He is set to be succeeded by Kazuto Ogawa, the current Executive Vice President and former head of the company’s North American operations, who will also take on the role of Chief Operating Officer.
This transition is timed to align with a new medium-term business plan extending through 2030, which prioritizes Canon’s aggressive pivot into the semiconductor and AI supply chain. The move is a critical step as the company prepares to challenge ASML's market dominance using its lower-cost nanoimprint lithography technology. This leadership shift coincides with the 2025 opening of a major new lithography factory in Utsunomiya, signaling a high-stakes expansion into advanced chipmaking equipment.
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