Effective April 1, 2016, Masaru Tamagawa, currently President of Sony Europe, will be appointed Global Sales & Marketing Officer, and assume responsibility for Sony's consumer electronics sales and marketing operations worldwide.

As of the same date, Sony Marketing (Japan) Inc., which currently oversees Sony's consumer electronics sales and marketing activities in Japan, will also take on headquarters functionality for all Sony's global sales and marketing in the area of consumer electronics, and be renamed Sony Marketing Inc. In conjunction with this realignment, functions with responsibility for these operations will transfer to Sony Marketing Inc.

As a result of these changes, from April 1, 2016 Sony Marketing Inc. will operate as the headquarters functions for Sony's global sales and marketing operations, while also overseeing all sales activities in Japan ("Sony Marketing Japan"). Newly appointed Global Sales & Marketing Officer Masaru Tamagawa will serve as Chairman and Representative Director of Sony Marketing Inc., while Hiroshi Kawano will be appointed President and Representative Director of this company. Mr. Kawano will continue to manage Sony's sales operations in Japan in his role as President of Sony Marketing Japan.

This realignment will integrate the extensive resources and expertise Sony possesses both in Japan and around the world, and further reinforce its sales operations globally.

By doing so, Sony intends to bring its sales companies and the business units they support even closer together, and accelerate its efforts to enhance the profitability of its consumer electronics business.