SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is known to like to think big, and the announcement he made today is no exception: Son said that he will donate a total of 10 billion yen ($120 million) of his personal money to the victims of the quake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11.
Son made the promise on a program that was livestreamed on Ustream earlier today (Sunday) Japanese time. He also said he is ready to donate the rest of the compensation he receives from his company – every year, until he retires. SoftBank itself will donate 1 billion yen, in addition to many other things to support the victims of the disaster.
Among Japan’s web entrepreneurs, Son is in good company: Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani, for example, pledged to personally donate 1 billion yen earlier – but Son was the most generous of them all so far.
Son founded SoftBank in 1981 and is 53 years old. According to Forbes, he is worth $8.1 billion.
Serkan Toto