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August 14, 2026
 

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MASAYOSHI SON

For the three months to June, SoftBank booked gains from its bets on Intel, whose shares more than tripled during the quarter.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 6, 2026
SoftBank beats profit expectations as chip bets compensate for muted AI gains
The Tokyo-based technology investor¡¯s net income fell 18% to ?347.3 billion in its fiscal first quarter, compared with a market estimate of about ?166 billion.
SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son has pledged to go "all in¡± on OpenAI, with commitments now exceeding $60 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 27, 2026
SoftBank¡¯s $40 billion loan for OpenAI stake gets 21 new lenders
The 12-month loan, signed in March, is one of the largest-ever bridge financings in the Asia-Pacific region.
Masayoshi Son speaks at an annual SoftBank World event in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 14, 2026
SoftBank¡¯s Masayoshi Son sees fusion power as key to AI¡¯s future
However, many technological and financial challenges remain for fusion technology to become a viable energy source.
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son dismissed the idea of space-based data centers, arguing that the AI race will be won by computing power on Earth.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2026
Masayoshi Son dismisses Musk¡¯s idea for orbital data centers
The main advantage of building data centers in space would be to slash electricity costs, but such expenses comprise a small fraction of total costs.
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son during a news conference at the Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio, on March 20
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2026
SoftBank plans up to €75 billion investment in French AI centers
The deal is a result of personal diplomacy between French President Emmanuel Macron and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, who met in Japan earlier this year.
SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son takes the stage with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at an AI Conference in Tokyo in February 2025.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 8, 2026
OpenAI is so yesterday ¡ª even for SoftBank
Liquidity is as important as paper gains. There are already signs that capital markets are souring on Son¡¯s biggest bet.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and the head of OpenAI, Sam Altman, attend an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo in February 2025.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 23, 2026
SoftBank is going all in on OpenAI, but at what cost?
SoftBank Group¡¯s founder Masayoshi Son invested in OpenAI despite potential exposure to a liquidity crunch.
SoftBank has been piling on debt as its founder Masayoshi Son seeks to position himself as a linchpin in the global AI boom, with large-scale investments into OpenAI.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2026
SoftBank seeks $10 billion margin loan backed by OpenAI shares
SoftBank has been piling on debt as its founder Masayoshi Son seeks to position himself as a linchpin in the global AI boom.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright (left), SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (center), and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, following a groundbreaking ceremony at the Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 21, 2026
SoftBank planning massive $500 billion data center in Ohio
SoftBank is seeking to build the AI computing complex at a former uranium enrichment complex owned by the U.S. Energy Department.
Tadashi Yanai, chair and CEO of Fast Retailing, is the richest Japanese on the Forbes' 2026 ranking of the world's richest people.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2026
Uniqlo¡¯s Yanai is the richest Japanese on Forbes¡¯ wealth ranking list
With a net worth of $61.8 billion, Tadashi Yanai, chair?and CEO of Uniqlo clothing chain operator Fast Retailing, ranked 32nd on the U.S. business magazine¡¯s list.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (left) and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attend an event in Tokyo in February 2025. SoftBank¡¯s investment gain on OpenAI stood at an estimated $19.8 billion as of December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 13, 2026
SoftBank swings to profit on valuation boost from OpenAI bet
As of December, SoftBank¡¯s investment gain on OpenAI stood at an estimated $19.8 billion.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group, at a conference in Tokyo in December
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 28, 2026
SoftBank in talks to invest $30 billion more in OpenAI, report says
The increase in commitment that reflects Masayoshi Son¡¯s ambitions to play a central role in developing artificial intelligence.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son attends an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo in February.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 20, 2025
SoftBank races to fulfill $22.5 billion funding pledge to OpenAI by year-end
The ¡°all-in¡± bet on OpenAI is among the biggest yet by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, as he seeks to improve his firm¡¯s position in the race for artificial intelligence.
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son speaks during an event in Tokyo on Dec. 1.
BUSINESS
Dec 13, 2025
SoftBank billionaire Son trims share pledges after AI rally
Son trimmed his committed shares by 19.4 million to around 154.2 million, according to a filing earlier this month.
SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son meets with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday in Seoul.
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2025
SoftBank Group CEO meets with South Korean president
The pair discussed cooperation in the fields of AI and semiconductors, as well as infrastructure investment.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group, speaks during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute Priority Asia conference in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 2, 2025
SoftBank¡¯s Son ¡®cried¡¯ about Nvidia stake sale to fund AI bets
Son, addressing for the first time the surprise disclosure that SoftBank had unloaded its stake in the world¡¯s most valuable company, also slammed talk of an AI investment bubble.
Masayoshi Son¡¯s SoftBank is turning to expensive hybrid bonds and other financing methods to fund its $30 billion investment in OpenAI, as it faces growing pressure from high debt, low cash flow and competition from AI giants like Nvidia.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 26, 2025
SoftBank¡¯s OpenAI ambition is far too grand for banks
On a stand-alone basis, as of the end of June, the company held more than twice as many bonds as bank loans.
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son¡¯s bets on artificial intelligence have fueled a 146% surge in the stock since the fiscal year began in April.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 22, 2025
SoftBank¡¯s heavy weight forces skeptical stock investors to buy
SoftBank shares provided almost 10% of the increase in the Topix¡¯s market capitalization since the end of March.
SoftBank Group¡¯s Vision Fund is considering cutting as much as 20% of its staff.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2025
SoftBank¡¯s Vision Fund mulls 20% job cuts after Son¡¯s pivot to AI
The unit, which employed about 282 people as of the end of March, may shed more than 50 roles, a person familiar with the matter said.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and U.S. President Donald Trump. Son has promised to invest $100 billion in the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 19, 2025
SoftBank buying about 2% of Intel for $2 billion
CEO Masayoshi Son earlier pledged to invest a total of $100 billion in the United States.
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
New ¡®Katsu Curry Index¡¯ aims to show how weak the yen really is
A CoCo Ichibanya curry house in Tokyo.
Mexican man arrested over attempt to smuggle some 200 lizards into Japan
Mexican alligator lizards seized by Tokyo Customs from a Mexican man who attempted to smuggle them into Japan on Saturday through Haneda Airport
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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