Masayoshi Son is Japan's top shareholder among listed company executives, with holdings worth ¥10.2304 trillion.
That is about 2.3 times last year's ¥4.4 trillion.
AI investments boosted SoftBank's stock, and AI-related gains lifted other executives.
What happened
SoftBank Group (SBG) Chairman and President Masayoshi Son ranked No. 1 for the second straight year in a Nikkei survey of shareholder wealth among executives of listed Japanese companies. His holdings were valued at ¥10.2304 trillion, up about 2.3 times from ¥4.4 trillion a year earlier.
Why it matters
The surge reflects the success of SBG's AI investment strategy, as expectations grew for an initial public offering (IPO) of U.S.-based OpenAI, in which SBG has invested heavily, and the enterprise value of its subsidiary, UK chip designer Arm Holdings, also rose. AI-related gains also lifted other executives, such as Disco's President Kazuma Sekiya (¥132.3 billion, up to No. 3 from No. 9) and Meiko's President Yuichiro Naya (¥79.5 billion, up to No. 10 from No. 29).
What to watch
The Nikkei survey, published on the 24th, calculated values as of the 10th of this month for the March 2026 fiscal year. It excluded companies whose fiscal year does not end in March, such as Fast Retailing and Rakuten Group, and also excluded former No. 2 Keyence founder Takemitsu Takizaki, who stepped down as director in June.
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The Nikkei survey, based on shareholdings disclosed in securities reports for the March 2026 fiscal year, shows that AI-related business is becoming a major driver of earnings for Japanese listed companies, potentially shifting the traditional dominance of the automotive sector. Son's holdings more than doubled, reflecting the success of SBG's AI investment strategy, including its stake in OpenAI and Arm Holdings. Other executives also benefited, such as Disco's president, whose shares rose on demand for semiconductor cutting and polishing equipment, and Meiko's president, whose company supplies printed circuit boards for AI servers. The construction and steel sector also saw gains, with Daiko Kogyo's chairman benefiting from increased steel sales for data centers. The survey, which used stock prices as of the 10th of this month, excluded companies with non-March fiscal-year ends, which may affect the completeness of the ranking. The overall market strength, with the Nikkei average breaking the ¥70,000 level in June, also contributed to the increases.
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