Takara Tomy CEO Akio Tomiyama on Beyblade, Tariffs, and Physical Toys
Tomiyama's interview ties Takara Tomy's current strategy, a manufacturing shift out of China and a bet on physical toys, to his own history with Beyblade.
Reporting from 1 source: Anime Herald.
Takara Tomy President and CEO Akio Tomiyama sat down with Anime Herald at Anime Expo 2026. He discussed Beyblade's strategy-driven design, the company's move of manufacturing from China to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand to avoid tariffs, and his argument that physical toys remain central even as digital marketing grows.
Tomiyama said Beyblade is derived from koma, the Japanese spinning top, and that players build their own strategies for each edition. He was the marketing manager when the toy first launched, and he said its appeal is that it is not about physical strength, since a softer shoot can win. On manufacturing, he said Takara Tomy moved production from China to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand to avoid higher tariffs, and that the situation can change daily, citing the Hormuz Strait. He also said he grew up on Bandai Namco's Gundam toys. Asked about the shift to digital, he argued that physical toys are the company's strength and that people come to events like Anime Expo to connect in person, so the digital and physical worlds can coexist.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.