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News

Announcement of Changes to Our Executive Leadership Structure (Effective April 1, 2025)

Menicon Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: 21-19, Aoi 3, Naka-ku, Nagoya; President and COO: Koji Kawaura) announces that on December 24, 2024, it accepted the resignation of its current Director and Executive Chairman and CEO, Dr. Hidenari Tanaka. At the Board of Directors meeting held on the same day, it was resolved to transition from the current two-representative executive structure to a single-representative executive structure effective April 1, 2025. Additionally, Mr. Koji Kawaura will assume the role of CEO, while Dr. Tanaka will step down from his roles as Director and Executive Chairman & CEO as of March 31, 2025, and will be appointed Honorary Chairman without representative authority.

Message from the Director and Executive Chairman & CEO, Dr. Hidenari Tanaka

To All Our Valued Supporters,

As I step away from this role, I find myself reflecting with immense gratitude on the many individuals and partners whose encouragement, guidance, and trust have made this journey so rewarding.

Menicon’s journey began in 1951 with my late father, Kyoichi Tanaka’s invention of Japan’s first corneal contact lens. From that moment, we’ve been committed to one mission: “Contributing to society through better vision.” Caring for the safety of your eyes has been our foundation, driving every decision we’ve made.

In 2000, when I took on the responsibility of President, I committed to transforming our business to adapt to evolving market dynamics. By introducing the “MELS Plan”, a subscription-based service for contact lenses and expanding through M&A both domestically and internationally, we achieved significant growth. Thanks to your continued trust and support, our revenue has grown fivefold to approximately 120 billion yen.

One of my key initiatives has been to embrace the philosophy of “More Open and Transparent Management” within Menicon. In 2010, while still a private company, we adopted a "Company with Committees" governance model (now "Company with a Nominating Committee, etc.") to strengthen corporate governance by separating oversight from execution. In 2015, we went public on the First Sections of the Tokyo and Nagoya Stock Exchanges, and today, we are listed on the Prime and Premier Markets. In 2023, we introduced a two-representative executive structure, appointing Mr. Koji Kawaura as President and COO. This transition not only enhanced our global strategy but also marked an important step in transferring authority to the next generation of leaders and accelerating management reform.

In the spirit of advancing this transition and ensuring greater transparency through a clear separation of ownership and management, I will retire from my roles as Director and Executive Chairman & CEO at the end of the fiscal year ending March 2025. As Honorary Chairman, I will remain dedicated to supporting Menicon and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

For Menicon to continue thriving both in Japan and abroad, it is imperative that our founding philosophy of “creating new value from nothing and boldly challenging what no one has done before” is not only carried forward by individuals like the founder or myself, but also embraced and practiced collectively by our teams and organization. I am committed to supporting the company as it evolves into an enduringly innovative organization.

I would like to once again extend my profound gratitude to all of our stakeholders for your unwavering support over the years. As we move forward with the new leadership structure under Mr. Kawaura, I kindly request your continued guidance and encouragement.

Director and Executive Chairman & CEO, Dr. Hidenari Tanaka.