After ten years, the brand creator Hello Kitty, Shintaro Tsuji, 97, is back on the list of richest in Japan. The actions of his company, Sanrio, had a strong increase after a new phase of the company last year.
Sanrio has expanded the business beyond the sale of licensed products, under the management of Tomokuni Tsuji, president and CEO of the company, as well as the founder’s grandson. Now the brand also offers content such as games, cartoons and educational entertainment.
These changes generated a length of 13% of net income in the fiscal year ended in March 2025, compared to the previous year, reaching ¥ 41.7 billion (R $ 1.66 billion). And this scenario contributed to turning it to appearing among the richest in the Asian country.
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Check out the 10 richest in Japan
Preparing the impact of US tariffs, its largest export market, reduced its estimated economic growth to this year from 1.1% to 0.5%. The Nikkei 225 reference index has fallen almost 2% since Forbes’s last analysis of Forbes, but a stronger yen has helped increase the richest collective wealth by 14%.
Currently, the fortunes of the 50 people and richest families in Japan adds about $ 228 billion – The equivalent of R $ 1.27 trillion.
According to Forbes, Shintaro has a equity of US $ 1.7 billion (R $ 9.5 billion) and is the 32nd place among the Japanese billionaires.
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Check out who is in the top 10 rich in the country:
- Tadashi Yanai and Family: US $ 48.2 billion (R $ 269.7 BI) – FAST RETAILING, UNIQLO controller, retail clothes;
- Masayoshi Son: US $ 28.2 billion (R $ 157.8 BI) – CEO of Softbank Group;
- Takemitsu Takizaki: US $ 20.7 billion (R $ 115.84 BI) – Founder of Keyence, provider of sensor and electronic components for factory automation systems;
- Saji and family: US $ 10.5 billion (R $ 58.7 BI) – President of the Giant Beverage Sector SUV HOLDINGS;
- Yasumitsu Shigeta: US $ 6.9 billion (R $ 38.6 BI) – President of Hikari Tsushin, which sells mobile phones and mobile services to major Japanese operators;
- Takao Yasuda: US $ 5.4 billion (R $ 30.2 billion) – founded the Don Quijote discount retailer, now Pan Pacific International Holdings;
- Taka Takahaahaa: US $ 5.3 billion (R $ 29.6 BI) – CEO of UNICHARM, manufacturer of personal care products;
- Sekiya Family: US $ 5 billion (R $ 27.9 billion) – founder of disk, which manufactures the equipment that cuts semiconductors for use in products such as cell phones;
- Brothers Ito: US $ 4.9 billion (R $ 27.4 billion)-Seven & I Holding, a retailer who helped create the 7-Eleven brand;
- Akira Mori and Family: US $ 4.7 billion (R $ 26.3 BI) – President and owner of the real estate developer Mori Trust, which has more than 100 properties in Tokyo and all over Japan, including office buildings and hotels.
