This story is part of Forbes’ coverage of Japan’s Richest 2026. See the full list here.
A stock market bull run, driven by the global AI frenzy, lifted the benchmark Nikkei 225 index nearly 70% since we last measured fortunes, though the weaker yen took its toll. Overall, the wealth of the 50 richest tycoons grew 29% to $294 billion.
Gains this year were concentrated among a few listees—14 fortunes were up—with SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son bringing in a record haul and reclaiming the No. 1 spot after a four-year gap. Son’s net worth swelled by $51.8 billion or 184% to $80 billion, making him the biggest gainer in both percentage and dollar terms. SoftBank reported a record net profit of ¥5 trillion($31 billion) for the year ended Mar. 31, following its multibillion dollar investment in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
Uniqlo billionaire Tadashi Yanai slipped to second place, despite his wealth rising more than a third to $65 billion, boosted by solid growth in revenue and net profit at parent company Fast Retailing. The Sekiya family climbed three spots to No. 5 after adding $4.1 billion to take their net worth to $9.1 billion. Shares of their chip-equipment maker, Disco, more than doubled on surging demand for AI-related products.
The six new entrants include Masakazu Idemitsu, who shares a $1.15 billion fortune with his family and whose refining giant Idemitsu Kosan got a windfall from surging crude oil prices in the wake of the Iran conflict. A 65% jump in net income to ¥172 billion for the year ended Mar. 31 triggered a 48% rally in its shares. Also making his debut is Fumio Sakiya, founder of Rorze, which makes equipment for semiconductors and flat-panel displays. The stock more than doubled over the past year on the company’s forecast of higher sales amid optimism over increased orders.
The sole returnee, after a year’s gap, is Ryuji Arai, founder of electronics and appliances retailer Bic Camera, who appears at No. 48 with $1.13 billion. The company reported a 23% rise in net profit of ¥11 billion on sales of ¥508 billion for the first half ended Feb 28.
A total of 27 fortunes fell, including that of Takahisa Takahara, president and CEO of personal-products maker Unicharm, whose wealth was down nearly a third to $3.6 billion as the company’s shares declined. With Japanese consumers becoming more cost-conscious, Unicharm reported a 21% fall in net profit to ¥19.8 billion for the quarter ended Mar. 31. Three dropped from the ranks, including the Nakatani family, whose medical testing equipment maker Sysmex’s shares nearly halved as net profit plunged more than a third to ¥35.4 billion for the year to Mar. 31. The minimum net worth to qualify edged down to $1.1 billion from $1.2 billion the previous year.
Full Coverage of Japan’s Richest 2026:
With additional reporting by Anuradha Raghunathan and James Simms.
Methodology
This list was compiled using shareholding and financial information obtained from the families and individuals, stock exchanges, annual reports and analysts. The ranking lists both individual and family fortunes, including those shared among relatives. Private companies were valued based on similar companies that are publicly traded. Net worths were based on stock prices and exchange rates as of the close of markets on May 22, 2026. The list can also include foreign citizens with business, residential or other ties to the country, or citizens who don’t reside in the country but have significant business or other ties to the country. The editors reserve the right to amend any information or remove any listees in light of new information.