Tadashi Yanai (柳井 正) is a Japanese billionaire businessman and the founder and president of Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo ("unique clothing"). As of October 2021, he was the richest person in Japan, with an estimated net worth of US$26.5 billion, and the 40th-wealthiest person in the world according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Early life and education

Yanai was born in Ube, Yamaguchi, in February 1949. He attended Ube High School and later Waseda University, graduating in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in economics and political science. His uncle was an activist for the minority group known as Burakumin, who have continued to suffer caste-based discrimination in employment and marriage in modern Japan.

Career

In 1971, Yanai started in business by selling kitchenware and men's clothing at a JUSCO supermarket. After a year at JUSCO, he quit and joined his father's roadside tailor shop. Yanai opened his first Uniqlo store in Hiroshima in 1984, and changed the name of his father's company Ogori Shoji to Fast Retailing in 1991. He has stated: "I might look successful but I've made many mistakes. People take their failures too seriously. You have to be positive and believe you will find success next time." In 2019, Yanai stepped down from the board of Softbank after 18 years as an independent director at the Japanese technology conglomerate.

Published works

Awards and honours

Philanthropy

In March 2011, Yanai donated 1 billion yen to victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Personal life

He is the son of Kanichi Yanai and Hisako Mori Yanai. Yanai is married and has two sons, Kazumi and Koji, and lives in Tokyo. He lives in a $50 million, 16,586-square-foot house outside of Tokyo and owns two golf courses in Hawaii.