Kaz Hirai to be named Sony president - report
Could replace Stringer as soon as April.
Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai is to be promoted to president of Sony, according to a Nikkei report picked up by Reuters.
It's thought that he could formally replace current president Howard Stringer as soon as April, with details to be finalised at a board meeting next month.
Welsh-born American Stringer, who has been president since 2009, is apparently expected to stay on as chairman and chief executive officer.
As well as his duties at SCE, Hirai is also currently executive deputy president of Sony and heads the group's consumer businesses. He made his name leading the PlayStation division through its PS1 and PS2 purple patch.
If the report proves correct - and the move has long been rumoured - Hirai will inherit an organisation not exactly in peak condition. It posted a loss of 1.6 billion yen ($20 million / £13 million) for the last fiscal quarter.