Yayoi Appoints Former Google Executive Ryuichi Imaizumi as New Executive Officer and CTO

Yayoi Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and CEO: Kenichiro Muto; hereinafter "Yayoi") is pleased to announce that Ryuichi Imaizumi has been appointed Executive Officer and CTO, effective June 29, 2026, as part of our efforts to strengthen our management structure.

Background of Appointment

Yayoi's mission is to "Create a virtuous cycle in Japan by energizing small and medium-sized businesses." To this end, we have provided software and services, including the "Yayoi Series" business system for SMEs.

Currently, the business environment is undergoing rapid technological innovation, including AI. By merging the knowledge of Mr. Imaizumi, who has outstanding achievements in both cutting-edge global technology development and large-scale organizational management, with Yayoi's solid customer base of over 4 million cumulative registered users, we will strongly promote the following initiatives:

Creation of next-generation business experiences through the implementation of cutting-edge technologies (AI, LLM, etc.) in our products.

Fostering a global standard development culture and expanding our engineering organization.

Building a company-wide technology infrastructure to accelerate decision-making and capitalize on technology as an asset.

Future Outlook

Under Mr. Imaizumi's strong technical leadership, we aim not only to enhance the value of our existing products but also to create new innovations utilizing AI technology.

Yayoi will continue to provide even more innovative services to achieve its mission of "Creating a virtuous cycle in Japan by energizing small and medium-sized businesses."

Executive Officer and CTO Ryuichi Imaizumi

Biography

Born January 30, 1976

Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo and completed his graduate studies there. He joined Sony Corporation in 2000, where he worked on software frameworks for "Bravia." In 2008, he joined Google. He led the smartphone adaptation of the search system from its early stages and released a large-scale ranking update known as "Mobilegeddon" in 2015. He was appointed Engineering Director in the same year. From 2016, he served as Tokyo Engineering Site Lead, driving significant organizational expansion of the Japanese subsidiary. He subsequently led engineering teams for the web ecosystem and product development teams for Japan. From January 2025, as a Principal Software Engineer, he has been involved in the development of new search products utilizing AI/LLM, such as "AI Overviews" and "AI Mode."

Joined Yayoi Co., Ltd. in 2026 and appointed Executive Officer and CTO. Master's degree from the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo.

Comment from Ryuichi Imaizumi

I am deeply honored to join Yayoi as CTO, a company that supports small businesses across Japan and possesses a strong customer base.

At Sony and Google, I have dedicated myself to development with the mission of transforming society and user convenience through technology. In particular, I believe the recent advancements in AI are fundamentally changing the way we approach business efficiency.

Leveraging my past experience, I will fuse cutting-edge technology with Yayoi's highly reliable products to provide unprecedented value to our customers, while also contributing to building a robust organization where engineers can perform at their best and grow.

【About Yayoi Co., Ltd.】

Yayoi's mission is to "Create a virtuous cycle in Japan by energizing small and medium-sized businesses." The company develops, sells, and supports the "Yayoi Series" of software that assists with back-office operations. The "Yayoi Series" has over 4 million registered users and is used by many customers.

By combining Yayoi's strengths – its customer network, vast accumulated data, industry-leading customer service center, and relationships with partners – with technologies such as AI, we will support SMEs in achieving their desired future.

Representative: Kenichiro Muto, Representative Director, President and CEO

Founded: 1978

Number of Employees: 801 (as of September 2025)

Business Activities: Development, sales, and support of business software and related services

Head Office Location: Akihabara UDX 21F, 4-14-1 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

URL: https://www.yayoi-kk.co.jp