Tadashi Yanai

Yanai Tadashi (Japanese: Yanai Masa/No way however, Romanized: Yanai Tadashi, February 7, 1949 -) is a Japanese entrepreneur. He was born in Chuo Town, Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. He graduated from the Department of Political Economics of Waseda University. He became the richest man in Japan in 2009. He started by operating the clothing store chain UNIQLO. In 2009, his total wealth was worth 570 billion yen, making him one of the 40 richest people in Japan. In 2013, he became Japan's richest man again with US$15.5 billion. His most important philosophy of success is his international outlook. From the beginning when he envisioned the American-style warehouse-store integration model, to later seeing the potential of China's production base in the 1980s when information was less circulated and taking the lead in moving overseas, until he established his foothold in the late 1990s and immediately opened up the markets in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Europe. It can be seen that he attaches great importance to internationalization, so that he can carve out another niche in the relatively closed traditional Japanese business world, and finally rise first in the era of globalization. The Yanai family ranked 41st on Forbes' 2019 billionaire list, with assets reaching US$22.2 billion. In 2019, at the age of 70, Yanai Masaru stated that he would resign as chairman and president. The founder of the Japanese fast fashion giant will soon abdicate.