The Rise Of Shunsaku Sagami, Japan's Youngest Billionaire With A $1.9 Billion Net Worth

According to Forbes, there are now 2,781 billionaires living on Earth, and one of them is Japan's youngest billionaire, Shunsaku Sagami. Here's everything you need to know about Japan's future of business. 

According to Forbes, at only 33 years old, Sagami has an impressive net worth of $1.9 billion. He has made his money off artificial intelligence. TIME reported that in 2018, Sagami sold a startup and used that money to start the M&A Research Institute. This mergers-and-acquisitions advisory firm uses AI to connect older owners and CEOs of small to medium businesses with potential successors. 

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Sagami created this business as a response to a problem he faced. During an interview in his Tokyo office, Sagami explained to TIME that he felt challenged to succeed in the corporate world in a country with more old than young people. He specifically used his grandfather's story as an example. He told TIME that his grandfather had run a successful real estate agency in Osaka, but once he reached retirement age, he had to close down the business because he could not find someone suitable to take over for him. 

This is a common problem Japan faces an aging population with a declining labor force caused by a low fertility rate. Bloomberg reported that Japan's fertility rate dropped by 5.1% in 2023, highlighting that more people are dying than being born. According to CNN, this problem is not reversible as fertility rates have been consistently low for years in the Asian country. James Raymo, a professor of sociology at Princeton University, explains, "Even if all of a sudden Japanese married couples started having three children on average … the population would continue to decline. The number of births would, for a while, continue to decline. It's not reversible." This shrinking population means one thing for Japan: a smaller workforce. 

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The Japan Times reported that a study from Recruit Works Institute revealed that the country will likely face a shortage of 11 million workers by 2024. This is about a 12% decrease from 2022. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has prioritized this shrinking workforce and has pledged ¥1 trillion ($7.6 billion) to train young workers to be prepared for high-skilled jobs. In 2011, Japan's government estimated that by 2025, over 1.25 million small business owners would be over 70 years old and have no plan for succession.    

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Sagami is also working to fix this problem by using his business to help other businesses with AI assistance. He told TIME, "The aging problem in Japan is serious — I think it is the most serious in the world." Sagami's firm uses an AI-powered matchmaking system to ensure elderly business owners can find a successor that matches their business. Sagami only charges his clients after a deal has been successfully made. 

Since his company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2022, it has grown to 300 employees and works on 400 deals. Sagami is planning for international expansion. He revealed, "If I have the chance, I'd like to use the services M&A has developed here in Japan and help other countries in similar ways." 

Currently, M&A Research Institute Holdings Inc.’s share price continues to rise, and despite becoming one of Japan's youngest billionaires, Sagami stays humble. When asked how he feels about his wealth, he told TIME, "I'm not quite sure how I feel about my wealth. But I continue to work hard to create good businesses."        

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