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Ayumi Hamasaki's producer to stay with Avex

Masato Matsuura, the famous producer who brought pop star Ayumi Hamasaki into the spotlight, will return to the Avex record company group along with former managing director Ryuhei Chiba, the firm said Tuesday.

Avex announced the informal decision just two days after both Matsuura and Chiba resigned as senior managing director and managing director, respectively.

Matsuura had quit over internal trouble involving management plans at the company, and it had been rumored that artists he had dealt with would also move to another company as a result. But Avex officials said that this would no longer happen.

"With this, the possibility of artists transferring has been eliminated," an Avex representative said.

In addition to his position as managing director, Chiba had also served as president of a firm that managed artists. Avex officials said it was stated during a board of directors meeting on July 31 that conflicts of interest in Chiba's transactions would become a problem in the future. As a result it was recommended that he resign from his position as managing director.

Matsuura moved a motion for chairman Tatsumi Yoda to resign, saying his management plans were mistaken, but it was voted down, and he and Chiba resigned as directors.

Later, during a meeting between Chiba and Avex officials, it was reportedly decided that there were prospects for a solution to the problem of conflicts of interest affecting Chiba's transactions, and an informal decision was made for Matsuura and him to return to the company.

From The Mainichi Daily News, 3 August 2004