Mitsubishi veteran Osamu Masuko is now also stepping down as chairman of the board after his role as CEO. His health would be the reason to take a step back.
Masuko (71) was also CEO of Mitsubishi until last year, but passed that baton to colleague Takao Kato in June 2019. According to Reuters, this is a temporary step.
Masuko is a big name at Mitsubishi, because as early as 2007 he took on the role of (then) President of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. In June 2014 he was officially awarded the titles of chairman and CEO. Masuko also continues during his withdrawal in a role as a special adviser, as is customary with people of his stature.
Masuko was at the helm of Mitsubishi during several crises and important events. He was there when Mitsubishi got closer to Nissan and with it the Renault-Nissan alliance and got a lot of Carlos Ghosn-related misery on his plate as a result of that event. Then there was also the tampering with consumption figures, which had quite a few feet in 2016. One of the highlights for Masuko was undoubtedly the factory visit by our own Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende, during which the above photo was taken in 2009.