Kaz Hirai to be named Sony Corp. president - Report

Sony's Kaz Hirai has shuffled around the corporate ladder quite a bit in the past year. Last March, the longtime Sony employee was promoted to executive deputy president. And in June of that year, he was promoted again to the role of SCEI chairman. Now, according to a new report in Japanese business publication Nikkei, Hirai is moving again, this time to the role of Sony president.

Translated via consumer tech blog Engadget, the Nikkei report states that Hirai could become company president as early as April. Additionally, the translated report states that Sir Howard Stringer will remain chairman and CEO of Sony. No official word from Sony has come down just yet, and as of press time, Sony had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment.

Hirai joined Sony in 1984 as part of its music group. In 1995, he transferred to Sony Computer Entertainment America, rising through the ranks to become its president and CEO. In a 2006 management shake-up, Hirai replaced Ken Kutaragi as president of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in Japan, where he helped turn around the then-money-losing PlayStation business.