Hideo Sawada, chairman and president of travel company H.I.S. since 2010, has announced he will leave his position as president of the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki but will stay on as chairman. The disclosure was made April 26 and the resignation will be effective May 21. According to Asia Gaming Brief, Sawada’s exit was “apparently in connection with Sasebo city’s IR bid.”
Sawada will be replaced by Katsuhiko Sakaguchi, who has been with H.I.S. since 2014. Previously he was with Unicharm Corp., a Japanese company that manufactures disposable hygiene and household cleaning products.
AGB reported that Sawada was responsible for “an impressive turnaround” at the theme park, steering it through financial crisis to fiscal viability. Huis Ten Bosch is now one of western Japan’s most successful tourist venues.
Sawada reportedly does not favor an integrated casino resort at Huis Ten Bosch, believing it doesn’t warrant the significant financial investment required by the Japan government.
