According to a report in Nikkei, Sony will soon name Kazuo Hirai as President. Howard Stringer will remain in place as CEO and Chairman, but Hirai will be taking over presidential duties as early as April. Hirai is currently Executive Deputy President, and rose through the ranks after heading Sony's PlayStation division in North America. His success with the games unit is in contrast to Sony's plummeting fortunes in the television market, and the promotion follows a forecasted $1.2 billion loss for the year. Stringer, for his part, was the first foreign president of Sony, and had grand plans to unify the notoriously fragmented corporation into an efficient whole.

Update: Sony has issued a statement (PDF) saying that as far as Kaz Hirai's promotion is concerned, "nothing has been determined at this time."