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Softbank President Masayoshi Son Will Donate 10 Billion Yen to Earthquake Relief Efforts

Entrepreneur Masayoshi Son will be donating 10 billion yen ($119 million) to earthquake relief efforts:

Son will also donate all his earnings until retirement to support orphans, including those who lost their parents in the earthquake and tsunami that left more than 20,000 people dead or missing, the company said. Softbank Corp. is the holding company of the Softbank Group, whose core business is cell phone services.

Softbank has already decided to donate ¥1 billion to assist the Japanese Red Cross Society and other volunteer groups helping to pay the medium- and long-term living and education costs of orphans, the company said in a statement.

Son, a Zainichi Korean who naturalized and became Japanese in 1990, is the founder and CEO of the SoftBank Mobile. Forbes ranks him as richest man in Japan and the 112th richest man in the world, with a net worth of approximately $8.1 billion.

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17 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - April 4, 2011 at 9:13 am

Categories: General Japan Tags:

Colin

You know, I really really hate Softbank (though I do like their prices/Otousan), I do really respect what he did in donating all that money. It’s a really considerable chunk, considering right now the standings for donations is just about at 700 million, with 235 billion in damage and losses.

I still wouldn’t, though, really call him an entrepreneur, but that’s my opinion.

http://www.billowykimono.com Senor Science

“I still wouldn’t, though, really call him an entrepreneur, but that’s my opinion.”

Why?

He personally started an internet startup that’s turned into a telecommunications empire.

Colin

I’m sort of biased against Softbank, as well as Masayoshi Son, but this is my thought process towards the whole thing.

He’s the richest man in Japan (I think he’s number 2 now, actually, behind the maker of Uniqlo), yet his cellular service has not only the worst service, but the worst phones. (Yes, there is the iPhone now, but Softbank is literally pouring ALL of it’s money into advertising Apple products, a company I also have come to dislike, while all their other phones are pretty much withering in quality) That doesn’t strike me as what makes an entrepreneur, and it also strikes me as very un-Japanese to be making so much money with inferior products and services to the competition.

I have completely separate reasons for hating Softbank.

I’m sorry I didn’t really mean to turn this into troll-posts, I just have an extreme dislike of Softbank. I do respect that he gave to the disaster.

Rob A

If I read correctly, most Softbank phones are OEM, but made by Sharp and Sony, with the exception of the Apple and HTC models. He LITERALLY just pays the companies to put his company’s name on their hardware, much like Verizon and AT&T do.

I don’t find much fault with this guy, and quite like him in light of his recent actions.

I actually really like this phone by Sharp…it has a great camera feature.
http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/product/3G/002sh/

yuki

if he keeps his words then salute him. i hated softbank but after seeing this; i might change my mind.

Colin

This isn’t really Softbank, mind you, though…

T-rock

Terrific!
Laura_HNL

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t His Majest the Emperor of Japan the richest man in Japan?
His Majesty technically(or legally) owns the entire nation of Japan, doesn’t he?

Anyway, how much money has the imperial family of Japan donated to help the victims of the earthquake/tsunami and nuclear disaster?

http://www.japanprobe.com James

isn’t His Majest the Emperor of Japan the richest man in Japan?

No.

His Majesty technically(or legally) owns the entire nation of Japan, doesn’t he?

No.
chihuahua

Oh wow. lmao @ laura

wow. lmao
jcpb

Since WWII the Emperor of Japan is merely a symbolic figurehead. Think of the Emperor as Queen Elizabeth II of the UK.

http://tepido.org/ LB

Yes, but the Queen is independently wealthy. The Emperor is on government welfare.

http://tepido.org/ LB

Anyway, how much money has the imperial family of Japan donated to help the victims of the earthquake/tsunami and nuclear disaster?

Probably none, as unlike British royalty they don’t have any assets. The Japanese Imperial family is supported by the state, the various residences are managed by the state on behalf of the people of Japan, etc. They have no wealth of their own.

Piglet

I read somewhere that the current emperor inherited his father assets, in particular a swiss bank account with several hundred million dollars on it and some properties worth 20 millions dollars. I could not confirm this information independently, so this should be taken with a grain of salt.

http://theinconvenienttruthonwhaling.blogspot.com/ kujirakira

And that’s how it’s been for most of the recorded Japanese history we know as well.
Virtually powerless emperors on state welfare, the imperial court little more than the equivalent of a preeminent country club for the affluent.
At first you’ve got in-law families, then official regents, then those regents start being controlled, then shoguns, then shoguns with regents, until the whole system breaks down and the emperor is living out of a monastery.
At the height of the absurdity you have a powerless Minamoto Shogun, scared to death that his Hojo regent will kill him at any time, whose turned to writing poetry and appointed as Saidaijin in the imperial court. So you’ve got a Shogun sitting in the Emperor’s court writing poetry… neither of them with even a hint of any real power. Eventually he was assassinated, though the involvement of his Hojo overseers is speculative.
Occasionally you get some exceptions like Naka-no-Oe (Tenji), Daigo, Go-Daigo, Shirakawa, Go-Shirakawa. However, only two of these did it while holding the title of emperor. Naka-no-Oe usurped power from the meddling Soga clan and then led a reformist government all while crown prince, not unlike Prince Shotoku. Shirakawa and Go-Shirakawa did it as cloistered emperors – finding that they could exercise more control by abdicating to their chosen successors.
By the time the Sengoku period is underway the imperial family is practically destitute. With no legitimate central government to support them, they have very little.
jl

RE: “korean schools close…” post — Son-san needs to tell his countrymen in Chosen to get a grip. He’s there in Japan, donating money, sticking it out, while his cousins on the Peninsula are running around as if all the kim chee south of the 38th has evaporated!… sheez.
elpaw

I wish he would let me unlock my SoftBank iPhone. After cancelling the contract, it is now an expensive paperweight, even though I paid for it outright at the beginning of the contract

Softbank President Masayoshi Son Will Donate 10 Billion Yen to Earthquake Relief Efforts

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