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When Tomokuni Tsuji became president and CEO of Sanrio in 2020, he made headlines as Japan’s youngest-ever chief executive of a listed company. The grandson of founder Shintaro Tsuji was just 31 when he took the helm and has since overseen a new chapter for the company behind Hello Kitty, one of Japan’s most beloved cultural exports.

Under Tsuji’s leadership, Sanrio has entered a new era. The company achieved record growth, becoming a trillion-yen enterprise in 2024 as Hello Kitty celebrated her 50th anniversary.

With theme parks, a robust licensing business and nearly 150 stores in Japan (not to mention a cast of more than 450 characters), Sanrio continues to expand its global footprint and deepen its connection with fans around the world.

Monocle spoke to the young CEO during his recent visit to London, where Sanrio is serving as a major sponsor of the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall.

Hello Kitty recently appeared in support of the Grand Sumo Tournament. Why was this collaboration an important moment for Sanrio?
Sanrio’s aim has always been to bring smiles to as many people as possible and this crossover of sport and Hello Kitty was sure to do so. Hello Kitty hails from London and King Charles wished her a happy birthday last year, which was a huge honour for us. We hoped that our involvement in the sumo tournament would excite people in the UK too. 

Under your leadership, Sanrio has seen strong growth. What have been the key adjustments and strategies driving that success?
Well, our success isn’t just down to me. It was achieved with the help of everyone around me. We’ve had a series of structural reforms within the company, which has helped to strengthen the organisation and refine our character strategy. We are starting to focus more on some of our other characters besides Hello Kitty, which, alongside a smart social-media strategy, is helping the brand to stay strong.

When you mention shifting focus to characters beyond Hello Kitty, which ones do you see resonating most strongly with global audiences?
While Hello Kitty will still be at the heart of what we do, our audience will be seeing more of our other characters such as My Melody, Kuromi and Cinnamoroll.

Hello Kitty currently makes up about 35 per cent of the company’s sales and we don’t want that to go down as the other designs become more popular. We want to increase the sales of all characters simultaneously.

Sanrio currently operates 150 stores in Japan. Where do you see the greatest opportunities for international retail growth and could that work beyond traditional shops?
The number of our shops in Asia is growing steadily, especially in China, and we would like to branch out into North American and European markets too. But we are also looking to create customer touch-points beyond traditional shops. Of course, bricks-and-mortar retail will always be part of our plan but we will also be focusing on location-based entertainment that will create real opportunities for customers to come into contact with the brand.

By James Glynn

  SYDNEY--Inflation pressures in New Zealand rose to their highest level since mid-2024 in the third quarter, curbing the central bank's ability to cut interest rates much further even as economic activity remains flat. 

  The consumer price index increased by 3.0% from year earlier, with the CPI up 1.0% over the quarter, Stats NZ said Monday. The annual increase followed a 2.7% annual rise in the prior quarter. 

  With inflation now back at the top of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's 1% to 3% target band, the outlook for interest rates is more clouded. 

  The RBNZ delivered an emergency 50-basis-point cut in interest rates at the start of the month, reacting to a torrent of weak economic data that included a sharp contraction in economic growth in the second quarter. 

  Still, with inflation heating up, more cautious cuts are likely from here, according to economists. 

  The RBNZ has slashed interest rates hard over the last year, but the economy remains weak and unemployment is elevated. 

  The central bank has indicated that more cuts are coming. 

  Economic growth stalled in the second quarter, with national output contracting by 0.9% from the first quarter. Growth was flat in annual terms. 

  The largest contributors to the annual inflation rate in the third quarter were all in the housing and household utilities group, with electricity prices soaring by 11.3% and rents up 2.6%, the data showed. Local authority rates and payments were up 8.8%. 

  The annual increase in electricity prices was the largest since the first quarter of 1989 when they rose 12.8%. Still, the increase in rents was the smallest annual increase in over four years. 

  -Write to James Glynn at james.glynn@wsj.com 

  (END) Dow Jones Newswires

  October 19, 2025 18:32 ET (22:32 GMT)
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