So Much For That Plan: Vodafone Demotes Top Japanese Exec Just Stolen From DoCoMo

Well, that didn't work out as planned. Vodafone's Japanese unit, Vodafone KK (formerly known as J-Phone) scored something of a coup late last year in snagging a top exec from rival DoCoMo. Shiro Tsuda started on the job with big plans, promising to catch up to number two provider KDDI (a very tall order given just how far behind Vodafone KK seems to be, and the fact that they keep moving in the opposite direction -- i.e., down, not up). Well, it appears that Vodafone's top execs back home don't like how everything is going in Japan and, with the latest news of lost subscribers, has decided to send in its UK CEO and demote Tsuda already. Clearly, something of a major overhaul is needed, and with Softbank gearing up to enter the market, it's not going to get any easier any time soon. Still, it doesn't seem like they gave Tsuda much of a chance to do anything, and bringing in a new CEO (again) at this stage is only likely to slow things down.