Hiroyuki Nishimura
From Chan Top List, the imageboard wiki.
Hiroyuki Nishimura (西村博之) is a Japanese entrepreneur best known as the founder of 2channel, Japan's largest anonymous textboard, and as the current owner of 4chan, which he purchased from Christopher Poole in September 2015. He is a recurring figure in Japanese television and online media.
2channel
Nishimura founded 2channel in May 1999 while studying in the United States. The site grew into Japan's dominant online discussion venue throughout the 2000s. After a complex 2014 ownership dispute he no longer operated 2ch.net, and in 2017 the site was renamed 5channel under different administration.
4chan ownership
In September 2015 Nishimura announced that he had acquired 4chan from Christopher Poole. He has continued to administer the site since, weathering periodic outages, advertiser issues, and database breaches.
Public profile
Nishimura is a frequent guest on Japanese variety television, where he is known for a blunt and often contrarian on-air persona. He has also published books and essays in Japanese on debate, internet culture, and personal finance.
External links
See also
- 2channel / 5channel — The Japanese textboard founded in 1999 that became the template for nearly every imageboard that followed.
- 4chan — English-language imageboard founded in 2003, modeled on Japan's Futaba Channel. One of the most influential sites in internet culture.
- Christopher 'moot' Poole — American entrepreneur best known as the founder of 4chan, which he ran from 2003 to 2015.
This page was last updated on April 29, 2026.