Photo/Illutration Tsuneo Watanabe on March 25, 2019, in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward (Pool)

Tsuneo Watanabe, the chief of Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings who wielded enormous influence in politics and Japanese professional baseball, died of pneumonia on Dec. 19. He was 98.

Watanabe, who was editor-in-chief of the mass-circulation daily newspaper, was also chief adviser to the Yomiuri Giants baseball team.

Born in Tokyo, Watanabe was drafted into the military during World War II after entering the Tokyo Imperial University, today’s University of Tokyo.

After the war, he joined the Japanese Communist Party while he was still a student, but he left the party.

In 1950, he joined The Yomiuri Shimbun, where he distinguished himself as a political news reporter.

He served as head of the newspaper’s political section as well as chief editor of the editorial page.

In 1985, Watanabe became lead editor of the newspaper, a position he held for nearly 40 years.

During that period, in 1994, he published a controversial draft proposal to revise the postwar pacifist Constitution.

While working in the news media, Watanabe was in close contact with Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and other political and business tycoons, influencing the core of politics.

He admitted that he sometimes took on the “player” role behind the scenes in policymaking and political affairs.

As president of The Yomiuri Shimbun, he upheld a “sales first” policy.

In 1999, the company acquired long-established publishing house Chuokoronsha and brought it under the group’s umbrella.

Watanabe was chairman of Nihon Shinbun Kyokai from 1999 to 2003.

He also exerted strong influence in the baseball world, becoming owner of the Yomiuri Giants in 1996.

He resigned in 2004 over a money scandal concerning player scouting, but he returned in 2005 as chairman of the Giants.

In June 2014, he became the team’s chief adviser.

However, he resigned again in March 2016, after it was revealed that the team’s pitchers were involved in baseball gambling.

Through his involvement with the Giants, Watanabe paved the way for the introduction of the free agent system and the reverse draft system.

With abundant financial resources from the newspaper company and the Giants, Japan’s most popular baseball team, Watanabe could acquire star players and promising newcomers from other teams.

He also brought baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima back to the team as manager.

Related News