Tadashi Yanai
Tadashi Yanai
Tadashi Yanaiis a Japanese businessman, the founder and president of Fast Retailing, of which Uniqlois a subsidiary. He is routinely ranked as one of the richest men in Japan, and in January 2014 was ranked 35th richest in the world according to Bloomberg, making him the richest man in Japan with an estimated net worth of US$19.9 billion in 2009 and US$17.6 billion in 2014...
NationalityJapanese
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth7 February 1949
CountryJapan
failure great silicon success teacher tech time valley whether
I think like a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Failure is a great teacher. At the same time, you must remember, success will never last... Whether it's tech or fashion, it must be for the customer.
japan outside stores
Opening new stores outside of Japan is important, but training our employees is even more important.
air blended common english generation older versus younger
The air of the English is down-to-earth. They care about details; there's a tradition, but there's also a counter-culture: the younger generation versus the older generation and so on. But then that's well blended into a happy balance and crystallised into common sense.
change critical demand government hands political power
As a businessperson, I don't have the power to change the government. That is in the hands of the political leaders. However, as a taxpayer, we have the right to be critical of the government and demand change.
came francisco gate great people san took weeks welcoming
Forty-five years ago, when I was 18, I came to San Francisco by boat and took two weeks to get here. I had a great impression. I think San Francisco is the welcoming gate for people from Asia.
became brand casual chain global national next step streets
At first, Uniqlo was a casual chain on the back streets of Hiroshima. Then... we became a national brand in Japan. So, the next step is to become a global brand.
asia japanese maybe nearly opportunity
Japan has only 100m people. Asia has 4bn. At least one-third, maybe nearly half, will become middle class, and this is a big opportunity for Japanese businessmen.
became brand casual centers home major market paris stores success wear
Our international success started out first because we became the No. 1 casual wear brand in our home market of Japan. Then, we set up stores in the world's major fashion centers of New York, Paris and London.
japan problem cowardice
Japan's biggest problems are conservatism and cowardice.
country america offers
America, for me, is the country where, if you have something great to offer, you'll be valued highly.
people stores
I learned that people dont buy anything from unknown stores.
teenager entrepreneur visionaries
Konosuke Matsushita was a visionary entrepreneur. He started working very young as a teenager, and he eventually created Panasonic to become a truly global company.
hands government leader
As a businessperson, I dont have the power to change the government. That is in the hands of the political leaders. However, as a taxpayer, we have the right to be critical of the government and demand change.
hate different i-hate
I hate politics. What they say and what they do is completely different.