A former reporter for Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, where at the start of his career he covered stories on the Ghibli animation studios, it is highly unlikely that Kenichi Yoda (1974) could have imagined he would one day go on to lead the very company he specialised in during his time as a culture journalist.
His rise to the summit of this legendary temple of cinematic anime came on 22 June, when he took over the presidency from Hiroyuki Fukuda. His interview with Euronews takes place 48 hours before he accepts, on behalf of his studio, the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities.
