Yokohama Rubber reorganizes management

June 28, 2004

Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., headed by new Chairman and Representative Director Yasuo Tominaga, has realigned its management structure.

Tominaga, formerly president, has passed his presidential duties along to Tadanobu Nagumo, formerly executive director and president of the Tire Group. Nagumo also has been named a representative director of the company.

Yokohama also has implemented other organizational and personnel changes "in order to more vigorously promote growth, globalization and production innovations that are three major guiding principles behind Grand Design 10 (GD-10), the long term strategic plan of Yokohama Rubber."

The company outlined changes relating to overseas tire business development as follows:

1. Strengthening of export sales and overseas business promotion functions. Export sales and overseas business promotion functions, previously the responsibility of the Tire Overseas Business Division, have been divided between the new Tire Overseas Sales Divison and the existing Tire Planning Division.

The Tire Overseas Sales Division will be headed by Takashi Fukui, who was promoted to corporate officer from general manager of Tire Overseas Sales Department No. 1. The division has been structured into four departments.

* Tire Overseas Sales Department No. 1, run by Mikio Sano (formerly general manager of Tire Overseas Sales Department. No. 2).

* Tire Overseas Sales Department No. 2, run by Fumihiro Nishi (formerly general manager of the Tire Asia & Oceania Business Department).

* Tire Overseas Technical Service Department, run by Atsunori Agari (formerly general manager, Tire Overseas Technical Service Department).

* Tire Overseas Sales Promotion & Logistics Department, run by Hisao Hashimoto (formerly general manager, Tire International Logistics Department).

The Tire Planning Division, which overseas the transfer of business promotion functions, is headed by new Corporate Officer Toru Kobayashi. Under the division, the Tire Overseas Business Development Department, headed by Takashi Kunieda, has been created.

2. Strengthening of global original equipment business response functions. Keigo Ueda is the new director and senior managing corporate officer of the Original Equipment Tire Sales Division. The division oversees the new Overseas Original Equipment Tire Sales Department, run by Takao Oishi (formerly general manager of Original Equipment Tire Sales Department No. 2).

The newly created Overseas Original Equipment Tire Engineering Department will be run by new General Manager Tadashige Enomoto under the auspices of the Tire Technical Division. Managing Corporate Officer Takashi Yamashita heads up the Tire Technical Division.