Niwa to Become JR Tokai President

Nagoya, Jan. 11 (Jiji Press)--Central Japan Railway Co. <9022>, or JR Tokai, said Wednesday it will promote Executive Vice President Shunsuke Niwa, 57, to president on April 1.

Incumbent President Shin Kaneko, 67, will become chairman with the right to represent the railway operator serving mainly the Tokai region of central Japan, succeeding Koei Tsuge, 69, who will step aside to the post of adviser.

Niwa, who joined JR Tokai in 1989, will be the first to assume the presidency among those who entered JR Tokai and five other JR group passenger railway operators after they were born out of the 1987 breakup and privatization of the Japanese National Railways.

Under the fresh leadership, JR Tokai will aim to resolve issues causing uncertainty over when it will be able to start the operation of the Chuo Shinkansen magnetic levitation line whose construction is facing a delay.

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