Softbank CEO to donate $120M to Japan tsunami victims

Ben Lahnger · 04-04-2011, 11:17 AM

Softbank CEO to donate $120M to Japan tsunami victims

That's $120,000,000 out of his own personal net worth ... plus he is pledging his salary for the rest of his career.

SOURCE

This was tweeted a short while ago by George Takei and caught my attention immediately. His company is adding a $12M contribution, plus donating free cell phones to every child who was made an orphan by the disaster - including free cell service until they are 18.

Quote:

Japan Internet conglomerate Softbank Corp. said Monday its CEO Masayoshi Son will donate $120 million of his personal wealth plus his salary until he retires to help tsunami victims.

Softbank, the only Japanese mobile carrier offering the iPhone, will also give away mobile phone handsets to tsunami orphans and pay their phone bills until the children turn 18, said company spokeswoman Makiko Ariyama.

Son's 10 billion yen donation to the Japanese Red Cross Society and other nonprofit organizations is the biggest by an individual to quake and tsunami victims, Ariyama said.

Son, 53, will also donate all of his annual salary each year to aid organizations until he retires.

His salary was 108 million yen ($1.3 million) in the fiscal year through March 2010. Apart from Son's personal wealth and salary, Softbank said the company will give one billion yen to the Japanese Red Cross to support the disaster victims.

The article also mentions a couple of other companies that have stepped up with contributions, but nothing comes close to this.

I made a big deal (and rightly so) about the guy who scuba-dived into the tsunami to save his wife and mother. I'm thinking about how many people this guy might be saving.

Dude didn't have to do it. He certainly didn't have to go this LARGE. Heroism sometimes takes different forms.

Despanan · 04-04-2011, 03:34 PM

Good to see there are still some good people at the top.

Fruitbat · 04-05-2011, 05:45 AM

Isn't softbank big in that part of the world? If I remember correctly they are like a conglomerate of other organisations and lay a lot of internet + cables in asia - but then my info is about a decade out of date, and I'm too lazy to google it.

Ben Lahnger · 04-05-2011, 10:36 AM

The article speaks a little to that (and I anticipated your lazy butt, so I included the link!) ;-)

But, to save you from wearying your mouse hand with a 3 inch slide and a click, I'll confirm for you: yes, they are big there.

Fruitbat · 04-05-2011, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

The article speaks a little to that (and I anticipated your lazy butt, so I included the link!) ;-)

But, to save you from wearying your mouse hand with a 3 inch slide and a click, I'll confirm for you: yes, they are big there.

I have a laptop, so there is no 3 inch slide, plus saying I'm lazy is just easier than explaining how crazy-ass my life is. I should be writing but instead I'm procrastinating on g.net (for god knows what reason) with my characters shouting at me in my head telling me they want their stories told (and I'm not dillusional or pscyhotic or whatever, just the life of a writer).

Thanks for the info.