Japan's richest ride yen gains; Uniqlo boss Tadashi Yanai leads 2025 pack with record US$48 billion fortune
[SINGAPORE] The total wealth of Japan's 50 richest individuals on Forbes' 2025 list climbed 14 per cent to US$228 billion on the yen's strength, even as the country slashed its economic growth estimate.
The fortunes of 37 individuals on the list rose as a strengthened yen boosted net worth, even as the benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down by almost 2 per cent since fortunes were last measured, Forbes Japan said in a Tuesday (Jun 3) statement. The minimum net worth to qualify for the list rose to U$1.2 billion from $980 million last year.
The country's wealthiest person, billionaire Tadashi Yanai - the chief executive officer of Fast Retailing, which owns Uniqlo - added more than US$10 billion to take his fortune to an all-time high of US$48.2 billion.
Shares of Fast Retailing were up 20 per cent as it reported double-digit growth in revenue and net profit for the first six months ended February. However, the company trimmed its growth forecast in light of US tariff threats as it derives 8 per cent of revenue from the North American market.
SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son retained his spot in second place with a US$28.2 billion fortune, as the technology investor reported its first annual net profit in four years for the fiscal year ended March.
Son is investing billions in artificial intelligence (AI) - including in the US$500 billion Stargate Project, a joint venture with OpenAI, Oracle and MGX to build AI data centres in the US.
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Founder of sensor manufacturer Keyence, Takemitsu Takizaki, came in third place, although his net worth dipped slightly from the previous year to US$20.7 billion.
Nobutada Saji, the chairman of beverage powerhouse Suntory, came in fourth place as his wealth grew to US$10.5 billion, up US$1.2 billion from last year.
Yasumitsu Shigeta, the chairman of Tokyo-listed mobile phone retailer Hikari Tsushin, joined the ranks of the top five wealthiest for the first time, standing in fifth position.
Shares of his company - which also supplies electricity and gas to small and midsized businesses - rose 62 per cent in the past year on higher sales and profits and propelled his net worth to US$6.9 billion from US$4.2 billion a year ago.
Video games billionaire Kagemasa Kozuki was the biggest gainer in percentage terms. His fortune doubled to US$3.5 billion as he climbed up nine places to seventeenth position.
Konami Group, which he founded, chalked up more than 850 million downloads globally for its eFootball game which has Lionel Messi as a brand ambassador. The digital entertainment producer sold more than two million copies of the horror game Silent Hill, released in October 2024.
Among the nine whose wealth decreased was the Sekiya family, in eighth position, as shares of their chip-equipment maker Disco tumbled by nearly 40 per cent, cutting its net worth by US$2.4 billion to US$5 billion. The company was hit by concerns over tariffs and the strengthening yen.
Shintaro Tsuji, who founded the company behind the Hello Kitty brand, Sanrio, returned to the list in thirty-second position with a US$1.7 billion fortune.
The Hello Kitty brand has regained sheen under his 36-year-old grandson Tomokuni Tsuji, the president of Sanrio.
The list was compiled using shareholding and financial information obtained from families and individuals, stock exchanges, annual reports and analysts.
Private companies were valued based on similar companies that are publicly traded and net worth determined based on stock exchange prices and exchange rates as at the market close on May 9, 2025.
Japan has cut its economic growth estimate for the year to 0.5 per cent from 1.1 per cent, as the nation braces for the impact of tariffs by the US, its biggest export market.
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