Japan: The owner of Japanese brewery Suntory Ltd. is the country’s richest man

Nobutada Saji, the owner of Japanese brewery Suntory Ltd., is Japan's richest man with a net worth of $5.8 billion, according to a list of the 40 wealthiest individuals in Asia compiled by U.S. business magazine Forbes on June 9.

Despite a decade-long recession, Japan remains the nation with the greatest number of billionaires in Asia at 29, said the latest issue of Forbes that his newsstands on June 9.

The second richest man is Yoshitaka Fukuda of Aiful Corp., Japan's largest consumer finance company in terms of revenue, with a net worth of $5.7 billion, and third is Yasuo Takei, founder of consumer loan giant Takefuji Corp., with a net worth of $5.2 billion.

Forbes said in a statement released from its Singapore regional headquarters that it is often difficult to separate an individual's fortune from those of his relatives in Japan as some fortunes have roots that date back a century or more.

The youngest tycoon on the list is 32-year-old Internet entrepreneur Takafumi Horie, with a net worth of $645 million, who made waves earlier this year when he attempted a hostile takeover of a radio broadcasting network.

11 June, 2005