Senior Apple Japan leaves

Apple Vice President of Marketing Yoshiaki Sakito, one of the company's top executives in Japan, has reportedly stepped down. The Associated Press reprts that Sakito resigned Monday after the company reached an agreement. Apple declined to provide any details and it is unknown whether the executive's departure is related to the recently announced internal stock option irregularity investigation the company announced earlier this month. According to the report, Sakito has been credited with leading a successful marketing push for Apple's iPod portable digital music player in Japan. As a successor has not been named, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president overseeing worldwide marketing, will replace Sakito in an interim position. According to local media reports, Sakito plans to start setting up an undisclosed venture business; his departure, same report claims, will have a major leadership impact at Apple Japan at a time when competition in music players may heat up from rivals such as Sony and Microsoft.

by MacNN Staff