Person: Takiyama Masao

Takiyama Masao is president and representative director of noted Japanese anime satellite television network Animax, AXN Japan and Mystery Channel, each subsidiaries of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan (SPEJ).

A noted anime producer and production designer, Takiyama first began his career in anime with Fuji Creative Corporation, a subsidiary of Fuji Television, where he was influential for producing numerous noted anime series and licensing them for release across several overseas and international markets, including Europe. He first joined Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan in 1998, being influential in launching Animax, which became the first ever television network dedicated solely to anime. He also produced the acclaimed Kon Satoshi-directed films Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika, and has sat on numerous well-known summits on Japanese animation. In addition to his management and production responsibilites, Takiyama has also sat on the panels of numerous Animax events. He has received a bachelor of arts degree of the Department of Literature of Kokugakuin University in 1973.