Live Nation Japan Names Industry Vet Kei Ikuta Senior VP (Exclusive)

U2 Japan
Ross Stewart – U2 Japan
U2 performs a sold-out show on “The Joshua Tree” tour at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Kei Ikuta, an industry veteran of more than 17 years, becomes senior vice president of Live Nation Japan, where he will focus on touring both international and domestic artists from the company’s Tokyo base.

Ikuta most recently served as vice president at UDO Artists, and over his career has worked on tours with some of the biggest names in music including The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, David Bowie, Eagles, Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé, Maroon 5, John Mayer, Norah Jones as well as local legends X Japan and Yoshiki.  

Recent Live Nation-promoted shows brought by the company to Japan include U2, Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, Carly Rae Jepsen, Dave Chappelle, Cheap Trick, and Dua Lipa. Upcoming Live Nation tours visiting Japan include Billie Eilish, Green Day, Yungblud, Halsey and Tori Kelly with many more to be announced. My Chemical Romance will return to Japan for Download festival, also produced by Live Nation.

“Japan’s live entertainment market continues to thrive, and Live Nation has fast become a serious player in its growth and success,” Ikuta said in a statement. “I’m extremely proud to be joining the talented team here at Live Nation and will work with them to bring more world-class acts to the region and connect the biggest and best acts both locally and globally to even more fans in Japan.”

The appointment of Ikuta marks just the latest sign of Live Nation’s growth in the Asia-Pacific market. He will report directly to Live Nation Japan President John Boyle.

“We have made immense progress in Japan over the last couple of years bringing an increasing number of artists to Japan, from clubs shows to 50,000-capacity shows at the Tokyo Dome. By welcoming Ikuta, an esteemed industry veteran into the team, we are furthering our commitment to the Japanese touring market while enabling us to really move our business forward to meet the ever-growing demand for international concerts,” Boyle stated.

In addition to Tokyo, Live Nation also has offices Across Asia Pacific including in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland. 

Live Nation announced last year it has acquired leading promoter One Production in Singapore and PR Worldwide in Malaysia, while making significant senior appointment to its business in China.

Live Nation Asia in December launched Live Nation Connects, a new creative marketing agency to connect brands to fans across Asia.