Yasumitsu Shigeta built his fortune by founding Hikari Tsushin in 1988, scaling it into a listed telecommunications and services company, surviving the collapse of his first billionaire-era valuation and rebuilding the business around a broader mix of recurring services and investments. [1][2][3]
He founded Hikari Tsushin and rode Japan's mobile-phone expansion
Hikari Tsushin says the company was established in February 1988 with capital of one million yen to sell and lease office-automation equipment and telephones, placing Shigeta at the origin of the business rather than inside an inherited operating company. [2]
The company expanded rapidly into mobile-phone service contracts and handset retailing during the 1990s, reaching 1,500 mobile-phone stores nationwide by 1999 and listing on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange that same year. [2]
Forbes says Shigeta became Japan's youngest self-made billionaire during the late-1990s telecom boom, then lost most of that fortune when Hikari Tsushin's shares collapsed after the dot-com peak, making the subsequent recovery a second major chapter in his wealth creation. [1]
He rebuilt the company and retained control through a broader business mix
Hikari Tsushin later diversified beyond handset retailing into electricity and gas supply, insurance, office equipment and other recurring services for small and midsize businesses, reducing its dependence on the original mobile-phone retail model. [1][2]
The company's 2025 integrated report still lists Shigeta as chairman and representative director and records his direct share ownership, while Forbes identifies Hikari Tsushin as the asset behind his billionaire status. His fortune therefore reflects founder ownership, long operating control and recovery after a major collapse rather than inherited capital. [1][3]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Oct 6, 2026.
- Yasumitsu Shigeta · Forbes · Jun 8, 2026
- History · Hikari Tsushin
- Integrated Report 2025 · Hikari Tsushin
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