The Yokohama BayStars announced Sunday that their president, Jun Ikeda, has stepped down at the end of his contract and Shingo Okamura, a former government official for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, has replaced him.
Speaking to reporters at the ballclub's office along with club owner Tomoko Namba, Ikeda said that his intention was to pass the baton to the next person once he had achieved the goals that he and the club had set when he assumed the position five years ago, which were to "reconstruct and regenerate" the club.
The BayStars were losing around ¥3 billion a year when DeNA took over ownership of the club in late 2011, but under the leadership of Ikeda and the club's marketing and business strategies, it has consistently increased its revenue. The club is expected to make a profit for the first time under the current DeNA ownership this fiscal year.