Early this morning, we wrote about the breaking news which would have current Sony president and CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, step down to chairman position starting April 1st while current deputy president, Kaz Hirai, would replace him as the new Sony president and CEO. Kaz Hirai, who’s been with the company for over 20 years, is best known for turning around the Playstation division. Upon the announcement of his new position, Kaz Hirai was quick to point out that he is ready to take the helm of the company and begin focusing on the core business that make up Sony, most notably, “to drive the growth of our core electronics businesses – primarily digital imaging, smart mobile and game; to turn around the television business; and to accelerate the innovation that enables us to create new business domains.” Mr. Hirai was also willing to acknowledge the struggles of Sony, noting that Sony is going through “challenging” times but was optimistic about the company’s future, believing that a proper foundation has been laid in the last few years that will help Sony achieve a dominant role once again.

After the jump, Kaz Hirai’s full comments.

 “As challenging as times are for Sony now, were it not for the strong leadership of Sir Howard Stringer these past seven years, we would have been in a much more difficult position. I am grateful to Sir Howard and to the Board for their confidence in me, and I look forward to working with everyone at Sony more closely than ever before to build a strong future for our customers, shareholders, partners and employees. The path we must take is clear: to drive the growth of our core electronics businesses – primarily digital imaging, smart mobile and game; to turn around the television business; and to accelerate the innovation that enables us to create new business domains. The foundations are now firmly in place for the new management team and me to fully leverage Sony’s diverse electronics product portfolio, in conjunction with our rich entertainment assets and growing array of networked services, to engage with our customers around the world in new and exciting ways.” 

Discuss:

What core business do you think Sony should focus on?