Photo: 内閣官房内閣広報室 / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Masami Iijima is the kind of figure you almost never see coming — no flashy stage name, no viral moment, just a Kanagawa-born businessman who came up through Yokohama National University and quietly built a career in the business world. Born in 1950, he would have stepped into professional life right in the thick of Japan's high-growth miracle, then had to navigate the bubble years and everything that came crashing after. That's a lifetime of economic whiplash, and he rode it inside Mitsui & Co., rising from the steel raw materials business to president in 2009 and chairman in 2015. Now he is set to take over as baseball commissioner in December 2026, and there's something I genuinely respect about the operator who does the work without needing the spotlight. The world runs on people like that.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
Overview
Masami Iijima is a Japanese businessperson born on September 23, 1950, in Kanagawa Prefecture. He graduated from Yokohama National University before pursuing a career in business. He joined Mitsui & Co. in 1974, became its president in 2009 and chairman in 2015, served as a vice chairman of Keidanren, and is scheduled to become Commissioner of Nippon Professional Baseball in December 2026.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Masami Iijima
- Name (Japanese)
- 飯島彰己
- Reading
- いいじま まさみ
- Born
- September 23, 1950 (age 76)
- Origin
- Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- Businessperson
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Tiger
2. Background
- University
- Yokohama National University
3. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A3%AF%E5%B3%B6%E5%BD%B0%E5%B7%B1
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11666344
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Masami Iijima born?
Masami Iijima was born on September 23, 1950 and is 76 years old.
Where is Masami Iijima from?
Masami Iijima is from Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
What does Masami Iijima do?
Masami Iijima works as Businessperson.
Where did Masami Iijima study?
Masami Iijima attended Yokohama National University.
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