Mainichi wrote in a front-page story that Hitachi Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi will likely become the next head of Keidanren. Sadayuki Sakakibara, the present leader of the economic organization, plans to step down next June. The engineer-turned executive of the nation’s top electronics and engineering conglomerate is well-known for his ample business experience overseas. Nakanishi also has strong connections with the Abe administration, as he is an influential member of a GOJ commission on industrial innovation.