The chief executive of Sony Group, Kenichiro Yoshida, who helped further the company’s decades-long push to transform itself from a consumer electronics brand into a global entertainment company, is stepping down.

       Hiroki Totoki, 60, a top Sony executive who has worked closely with Mr. Yoshida in leading that drive, will take over as chief executive in April, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. Mr. Yoshida, 65, will stay on in his position as chairman.

       The switch-up at the top is only the eighth in the 78-year history of Sony, which was founded as an electronics shop in Tokyo in the wake of World War II. Before it lost its lead in recent decades, Sony was the first name in consumer electronics, churning out handfuls of iconic inventions like the Sony Walkman, which it introduced in 1979.

       Over the past two decades, Sony faced rising competition in devices such as computers and televisions from rivals in the United States and South Korea, and the storied Japanese tech giant began rebuilding itself as a gaming and entertainment powerhouse.

       Advertisement

       SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

       Mr. Yoshida took over as chief executive in 2018, after a turbulent decade in which the company reported years of losses and was forced to exit a number of unprofitable businesses including personal computers. Mr. Yoshida inherited from his predecessor, Kazuo Hirai, a company that was no longer bleeding red ink. He sought to maintain momentum.

       During Mr. Yoshida’s seven years leading Sony, the Japanese company spent billions of dollars building its vast empire of games, music and movies. Those segments accounted for more than three-fifths of its revenue in the most recent July-September quarter — up from less than a third a decade earlier.

       Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.