D3Publisher (D3P), together with its parent D3, Inc., today announced the promotions of Yoji Takenaka to president and chief executive officer of North America and Europe and Hidetaka Tachibana to chief financial officer of North America. In their new roles, Takenaka will continue to direct all operations in North America and Europe and Tachibana will continue to oversee key investor relationships and activities as well as strategic growth opportunities in North America.

“Yoji and Hide opened our doors in North America and Yoji started our European office one year later. Their hard work, dedication, and passion for the business have contributed significantly to the success of the company over the last three years,” said Yuji Ito, chairman of the board, North America and Europe, D3P. “We look forward to their continued leadership and expertise as we continue to pursue our global growth strategies.”

Takenaka joined D3P in 2004 as executive vice president and chief operations officer and continues to provide North America and Europe the leadership and experience from his 17 years in the interactive entertainment software industry as an executive in charge of business development and studio management. Prior to joining D3P, Takenaka was the director of business development at THQ, Inc. where he led the expansion for the WWE brand, the company’s most important product line. Prior to his tenure at THQ, Inc., Takenaka was vice president of business development at Intermetrics Studio/Looking Glass Studios where he started a development studio that grew to have a workforce of 150 in two years. Takenaka has also held executive positions with JVC and Turbo Graphics Inc.

Tachibana joined D3P in 2004 and continues to provide financial expertise and global vision to the North American team. His roles include researching and implementing strategic methods aimed at increasing North America’s overall profitability in the game market, as well as managing key investor relationships and activities. With more than 12 years of experience in managerial and executive roles, Tachibana possesses a proven track record with a variety of financially successful corporations and business entities. Before joining D3P, Tachibana served as the director of store development and finances and was a board member at NetSquare Co, Ltd in Tokyo, Japan where he implemented store operation and development initiatives as well as managed significant financial responsibilities. He also served as the director of store development and design at Fed Ex Kinko’s Japan Co., Ltd where he formulated and executed company development projects.