Sony Music Entertainment Japan is expanding through label signings, a virtual talent project that is winding down, and a capital alliance that makes it the largest shareholder of GungHo Online Entertainment. Atsuhiro Iwakami, previously president of Aniplex, is set to become its next president and CEO in April 2026.
Sony Music's recent moves split between its music labels and its broader entertainment business. On the label side, Eve moved from Toy's Factory to Echoes, releasing the ending theme for the first cour of The Apothecary Diaries Season 3. Echoes also announced LAYRA, a singer with a virtual and real presence, with a live show running from October 10 to November 15, 2026, at MoN Takanawa. Both moves extend a roster that already includes YOASOBI and Tatsuya Kitani.
The VEE virtual talent project is closing its current operational structure on September 30, 2026. Sony Music said continuing as a sustainable business was difficult and placed the failure on management rather than the talents. Of 21 affiliated talents, 20 will continue, keeping their names, characters, channels, and accounts; Hoshihoshi Airu graduated on September 16, and the VEELLAGE fan community and official shop close on September 30 and November 30. A game in development, Gun Girl Go, was canceled. The project launched in 2021 with the message "VTubers are human too."
The largest structural change is the GungHo alliance. Sony Music Entertainment Japan will acquire 12,006,500 GungHo shares from SON Financial for about 28.6 billion yen, pending regulatory approval, making it the largest shareholder with a 23.29% voting stake. The two companies plan joint development and operation of smartphone, console, and PC games and new projects using Sony Music Group IP. GungHo keeps its Tokyo Stock Exchange listing.
The leadership change frames these moves. Aniplex president Atsuhiro Iwakami becomes president and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Japan in April 2026, the first executive from a video production background to lead the company. More than half of Sony Music's sales in Japan now come from non-music sources, including Aniplex.
Written with AI from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced.
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Oct 3
Singer-songwriter Eve has announced his move from Toy's Factory to Echoes, the Sony Music label that is also home to YOASOBI and Tatsuya Kitani. His first release after the transfer is "AIYOU," the ending theme for the first cour of The Apothecary Diaries Season 3. The song goes to streaming services at midnight on October 2, ahead of the anime's first broadcast that same day at 11:00 PM on Nippon TV's 30-station FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT block. Yorushika handles the opening theme. Season 3 shifts the story from the inner palace to the city streets, with the first cour running from October 2026 and the second from April 2027. The second promotional video centers on Jinshi, now back in his position as the Emperor's younger brother, facing a calamity and a mysterious celestial maiden, and was released alongside the theme announcement.
May 31
Aniplex president Atsuhiro Iwakami will become the next president and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, effective April 2026, as reported by the Nikkei and covered by Animenomics. Iwakami, who has led Aniplex for ten years, will be the first executive with a video production background to head the Japanese music giant. The appointment reflects the growing influence of Aniplex within Sony Music Group, as more than half of Sony Music's sales in Japan now come from non-music sources, including Aniplex. Aniplex produced both "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle," the highest-grossing anime film globally, and "Kokuho," Japan's highest-grossing live-action film. External revenue from Sony Music's visual media and platform business, which includes Aniplex, rose 42.8 percent in the nine months ended December 2025 compared to the same period last year. Prior to leading Aniplex, Iwakami worked on productions such as the "Monogatari" series, "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," and "Sword Art Online," and produced the mobile game "Fate/Grand Order" and the "Demon Slayer" anime adaptation.