Masahiro Noda founded the company that became OBIC in 1968 with his wife's savings, then built it from an accounting-machine leasing operation into a major listed Japanese enterprise-software company. [1][2][3]
He left accounting-machine sales to start a small leasing company
Before founding OBIC, Noda worked as a sales representative for an importer and seller of accounting machines. He saw that smaller companies often could not afford expensive equipment and developed the idea of buying used machines, refurbishing them and leasing them to those customers. [2]
In 1968, Noda and his wife established Osaka Business, the company later renamed OBIC, with capital of 2 million yen and an office of roughly 20 square meters. Forbes describes the startup capital as coming from his wife's savings. [1][2]
The company moved from equipment leasing into computer distribution and then proprietary technology. OBIC became a leading dealer for Mitsubishi's MELCOM office computers before developing its own OFFICE80 system in 1980. [2]
Software and recurring corporate systems created the long-term equity value
As business computing shifted toward open systems and personal computers, OBIC developed the OBIC7 enterprise-resource-planning suite for Japanese companies. The company listed in Tokyo in 1998 and later moved to the exchange's first section, while retaining its focus on integrated business software and support. [2][3]
Noda remained chairman and chief executive decades after founding the company, and Forbes attributes his fortune to his stake in the listed software business. The wealth path is therefore founder-created: modest household savings financed the initial company, and long-term product development and ownership supplied the resulting fortune. [1][3]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Oct 12, 2026.
- Masahiro Noda · Forbes · Jun 8, 2026
- 50 Years of History · OBIC Co., Ltd.
- OBIC's Outline · OBIC Co., Ltd.
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