NHK’s board of governors has decided to appoint former Bank of Japan executive director Inaba Nobuo as the new President of the Japanese public broadcaster.

The governors met on 5 December to discuss a successor to President Maeda Terunobu, whose term ends on 24 January, NHK-WORLD JAPAN reports. They reached a unanimous decision to appoint Mr Inaba.

Mr Inaba is 72 years old. After graduating from the University of Tokyo, he joined Japan’s central bank and later assumed the position of executive director. He then moved to precision equipment maker Ricoh, where he served in senior posts. He is currently executive advisor for the Ricoh Institute of Sustainability and Business.

Inaba’s three-year term as NHK President will begin on 25 January.

In a statement, Mr Inaba said he was very surprised, but that he wants to grasp the actual situation of NHK as soon as possible and strive to meet the mission of public broadcasting.