The well-known Japanese entertainment executive Tatsumi “Tom” Yoda is taking on a new challenge as a chairman of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

Tom Yoda’s appointment was announced at the TIFF's annual meeting of the festival’s board of directors held on March 31st, 2008. He will serve as a new TIFF chairman for the coming three years, following the previous chairman Tsuguhiko Kadokawa.

The 21st edition of the prestigious International Film Festival will take place in Tokyo, the Japanese capital, during October 18th thru 26th. While the affiliated TIFFCOM film market, made its launch in the year 2004, is scheduled for October 22nd thru 24th.

Tom Yoda was born on May 27, 1940, in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture. After graduating from Tokyo's Meiji University with business management degree, he joined Osada Electric Co. in 1963 and later joined Sansui Electric.

After leaving Sansui Electric in 1988, Yoda established Thomas Yoda Limited (later renamed as T.Y. Limited Inc.) and entered into the entertainment-content business by taking an executive position at the rising Tokyo-based record label, Avex, where he assumed the role of chairman of the board / CEO for a decade before departing from Avex in 2004.

Tom Yoda is currently chairman of the board of Tokyo-based film distributor / production company Gaga Communications Inc., chairman / CEO of T.Y. Limited Inc., chairman / CEO of Dreamusic Inc., as well as being a member of the board of directors of motion pictures theatrical operator, T-Joy Co. Ltd.

Since May 2007, Yoda has served as a director of the Japan Video Software Association and also as deputy chairman of the Japan International Contents Festival’s executive committee. He also served as vice chairman of the executive committee of the 2007 Japan-China Culture and Sports Exchange Year.

Yoda has been a director of the Visual Industry Promotion Organization since December of 2004. He has also been a member of the Japan Business Federation's board of directors since February of 2004 and chairman of the subcommittee on entertainment and content of the federation's committee on industrial affairs since July of 2003.

Yoda was also a chairman of the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) from March of 2003 until August of 2004, chairman and special advisor of the Foundation for Promotion of Music Industry and Culture (PROMIC). Chairman: April of 2001 thru April of 2005, Special Advisor: April of 2005 thru March of 2006. He was also a main board director of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) from May of 2000 thru August of 2004.