TOKYO, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co named powertrain engineer Jun Seki as the new head of its China joint venture, following an executive reshuffle at the Japanese carmaker in November.
Seki, 52, will be charged with rebuilding Nissan's China business after it and other Japanese carmakers saw sales plunge in the world's biggest auto market late last year due to a surge in anti-Japan sentiment following a territorial dispute.
Nissan, which has the largest reliance on China out of Japan's seven passenger carmakers, makes vehicles in the country in partnership with Dongfeng Motor Group Co Ltd.
Seki, who has been serving as the vice president of the local joint venture since April, will take over on Jan. 1 from Kimiyasu Nakamura, who will become Nissan's executive vice president overseeing quality issues, the carmaker said on Monday.
Seki, a graduate of Japan's National Defence Academy, was a senior manager in Nissan's powertrain production engineering department and has also worked at Nissan's North America office.
(Reporting by Yoko Kubota; Editing by Matt Driskill)