President, C Channel and Former CEO, LINE

Akira Morikawa

After graduating from the University of Tsukuba in 1989, Akira Morikawa joined Nippon Television Network the same year. In 1999, he received his MBA from the Graduate School of International Politics, Economics, and Communication at Aoyama Gakuin University. He joined Sony Corporation the following year.

Morikawa changed careers in 2003 and entered Hangame Japan Corporation, where he worked his way up the ranks to become a member of the Board of Directors. In October 2006, he was promoted to Executive Vice-President. Hangame Japan changed its name to NHN Japan Corporation in October 2007, and Akira Morikawa was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the company. When Naver Japan Corporation was established in November of the same year, he concurrently served as Chief Executive Officer of Naver Japan in addition to his duties as CEO at NHN Japan.
NHN Japan changed its name to LINE Corporation in April 2013, where Akira Morikawa served as Chief Executive Officer.

In March 2015, he has retired from LINE. He established new corporation “C Channel Corporation” and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer.