Obituary: Sanrio’s Kunihiko Tsuji

Kunihiko Tsuji, chief operating officer and senior executive vice president of Sanrio, passed away Nov. 19 due to acute heart failure at the age of 61.

Tsuji was the son of Sanrio’s founder Shintaro Tsuji. He is survived by his father Shintaro, eldest son Tomokuni and wife Yuko.

Tsuji’s career at Sanrio spanned more than 35 years; he first joined the company in 1976. In addition to serving as COO and SEVP, a role he held since April 2010, he also served as president and representative director for eight of the company’s subsidiaries.

A wake and memorial service will be held Thursday and Friday in Tokyo, Japan.