Fortune swings hit Japan's richest as Son widens lead
Fortune swings among Japans richest again center on SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, whose fortune jumped about $5.3 billion to roughly $76.8 billion and widened his lead over Uniqlo owner Tadashi Yanai. Japan's top five billionaires together held about $170.9 billion in the latest Forbes real-time update.
The move matters because it turns a once-tight Japan wealth race into a clear SoftBank-led gap, tracked in near real time by stock prices. For more billionaire ranking coverage, see our Net Worth & Wealth hub.
Key Takeaways
- Masayoshi Son's net worth rose about $5.3 billion to roughly $76.8 billion, ranking No. 29 worldwide.
- Japan's five richest together reached about $170.9 billion, up roughly $2.8 billion from the prior Forbes update.
- Tadashi Yanai and family fell about $1.7 billion to roughly $60.4 billion but stayed second.
- The Japan top-five ranking itself was unchanged; swings tracked share prices of SoftBank, Fast Retailing and peers.
Why did Masayoshi Son widen the gap?
Forbes real-time net-worth data updated at 5:00 a.m. on Sept. 19 (Vietnam time) put Son at about $76.8 billion, up from about $71.5 billion in the previous update.
Most of his fortune is tied to SoftBank Group shares and technology bets through the Vision Fund, so SoftBank's stock moves feed straight into his ranking. That surge kept a large cushion over Japan's No. 2.
Son is SoftBank's founder and CEO. The same Forbes Real-Time Billionaires feed places him 29th globally.
Who else ranks among Japan's five richest?
Second is Tadashi Yanai and his family, owners of the Uniqlo brand through Fast Retailing, at about $60.4 billion. That was down about $1.7 billion from roughly $62.1 billion earlier.
Third is Keyence founder Takemitsu Takizaki at about $23.4 billion, down about $400 million from $23.8 billion. Keyence sensors and factory-automation shares make up most of his wealth.
Fourth is Hikari Tsushin chairman Yasumitsu Shigeta at about $6.3 billion, nearly flat. Fifth is Don Quijote founder Takao Yasuda at about $4.0 billion, down about $400 million from $4.4 billion.
What drives these fortune swings for Japan's richest?
Lao Dong News, citing Forbes, says the group's total climbed from about $168.1 billion to about $170.9 billion. Son's gain outweighed declines for Yanai, Takizaki and Yasuda.
Forbes estimates update with stock prices, exchange rates and investment values, so day-to-day fortune swings among Japans richest can reshuffle gaps without changing the order. In this session, the ranking held while Son pulled further ahead of Yanai.