Tsuneo Watanabe

was a Japanese journalist, businessman, and newspaper editor and executive, who served as a Managing Editor of Yomiuri Shimbun from January 1985 until his death in December 2024. He also served as a Representative Director and Managing Editor of Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, which published a largest Japanese daily newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun, and substantially controls the largest Japanese television commercial network Nippon Television Network, and as well as his owner, director, and chief advisor of Yomiuri Giants baseball team, his owner of Japanese amusement park Yomiuriland, and the chairman of Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association. He was best known by his two nicknames Nabetane and Watatsune by those connected to Yomiuri Shimbun.

Watanabe played a prominent role in Japanese political, cultural, and professional sports arenas. At the time of his death, his legacy was surrounded by many numerous Japanese politicians, celebrities, sport players including professional baseball players, such as Shigeo Nagashima, film and television directors, producers, and stars, video game developers, and among others.

Early life and education Tsuneo Watanabe was born on May 30, 1926 in Tokyo, Japan, to his parents, Heikichi and Hana Watanabe. He is one of the third of five siblings, three sisters and one brother. In 1934 when Tsuneo was 8 years old, his father, Heikichi Watanabe, who worked at Fudo Savings Bank (The predecessor of former Kyowa Bank (Now Resona Bank)), where he suffered from vomited blood in the entranceway of their home in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, and then he unfortunately died of stomach cancer, a week later, at the age of 47. While the rental income from 11 rental properties left by his father, which provided a sufficient income for the immediate living expenses, the loss of their breadwinner left his family with heavy worries about their future. His mother, Hana Watanabe, who struggled to recovered from the loss of her husband, Heikichi.

During Asia-Pacific War in World War II, Watanabe served as an Imperial Japanese Army, but later noted that he was subjected to harsh treatment, which included daily beatings. He was particularly favored by Banboku Ōno and emerged as a prominent political journalist. He became as a member of newspaper's Washington bureau, and later, he was appointed as a director and chairman of editorial board at Yomiuri Shimbun in 1979 after serving as one of the newspaper's political news editors.

In 1991, Watanabe became as the president and editor-in-chief of Yomiuri Shimbun.

In 2004, Japanese professional baseball held its first-ever strike. Watanabe faced public criticism for remarking to Atsuya Furuta, a head of players' union, saying: "You are mere players. You should know your places."

Watanabe had close ties with a number of powerful Japanese political figures, including three former Japanese prime ministers Yasuhiro Nakasone (1918–2019), Toshiki Kaifu (1931–2022), and Shinzo Abe (1954–2022), as well as former Tokyo Prefectural Governor Shintaro Ishihara (1932–2022). Following his death, many numerous Japanese politicians, celebrities, sport players, film and television directors, producers, and stars, journalists and presenters, video game developers, and among others were pay tribute to Watanabe, including Japanese Imperial Family: Emperor Emeritus Akihito, Empress Emerita Michiko, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, and Prince Fumihito and Princess Kiko of Akishino; as well as then-ongoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and four former Japanese prime ministers: Yoshiro Mori, Junichiro Koizumi, Fumio Kishida, and Yoshihiko Noda; Tokyo Prefectural Governor Yuriko Koike; retired Yomiuri Giants baseball player Shigeo Nagashima; former Sino-Japanese baseball manager Sadaharu Oh; and among others. Later, they also toured an exhibition, which commemorating Tsuneo Watanabe's life and legacy at the same building.

Honors

Senior Third Rank (2025)