Raw Japan

Discounting Japan

Daniel Sloan

Feb 19, 2009 10:53 UTC

As Japan’s economy slips back towards deflation, the country’s price-cut kings are raking it in. The latest Forbes wealthiest list for Japan was headed by those running companies offering discount clothes, discount shoes, discount broking, discount drugs – and for people without the funds to take advantage of all the discounts — a consumer lender at far-from-discount interest rates. 

Forbes said the nation’s richest man was Tadashi Yanai, worth $6.1 billion and quarter owner of seemingly recession-proof clothing retailer Uniqlo. Yanai saw a $1.4 billion jump in his fortune after a huge surge in company shares despite the economy shrinking faster than it has in decades. 

Masahiro Miki, founder of discount shoe chain, ABC Mart, Chizuko and Michio Matsui of the eponymous on-line brokerage, and the Kinoshita brothers of lender Acom, rounded out the small list of those increasing their wealth last year in the world’s No.2 economy, which appears to be going through its longest recession on record.

The Tada brothers, who run discount chain SunDrug, and Akio Nitori of the same-name discount home furnishing retailer also made the Top 40, as disposable income was disposed of ever more cheaply.