Hiroshi Mikitani

Hiroshi Mikitani
Born	11 3, 1965
Birthplace	Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	Founder and CEO, Rakuten Group, Inc.
Known for	Founding Rakuten
Children	2
Awards	Legion of Honour

Hiroshi Mikitani (三木谷 浩史, Mikitani Hiroshi; born March 11, 1965) is a Japanese billionaire businessman, writer, and the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Rakuten Group, Inc., one of the largest internet services companies in the world. Born in Kobe, Japan, Mikitani built Rakuten from a small online marketplace launched in 1997 into a sprawling global conglomerate encompassing e-commerce, financial technology, digital content, communications, and professional sports. Beyond his role at Rakuten, Mikitani serves as chairman of the J1 League football club Vissel Kobe, chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and president of the Crimson Group investment firm. He has held board positions at companies including Lyft and AST SpaceMobile. A prominent voice in Japanese business reform, Mikitani has advocated for the adoption of English as a corporate language, deregulation of the Japanese economy, and, more recently, the development of artificial intelligence as a national priority. He has frequently been described by international media as "Japan's answer to Jeff Bezos."

Early Life

Hiroshi Mikitani was born on March 11, 1965, in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. His upbringing in Kobe, a cosmopolitan port city with a long history of international trade, would later inform both his global business outlook and his deep personal attachment to the city — a connection that became particularly significant following the devastating Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995.

The 1995 earthquake, which killed over 6,000 people and caused catastrophic destruction across the Kobe region, proved to be a formative event in Mikitani's life. Witnessing the destruction of his hometown and the struggles of small business owners in the aftermath of the disaster motivated him to consider how technology, particularly the emerging internet, could help empower small and medium-sized enterprises. This experience became a catalyst for his decision to leave his career in banking and consulting to pursue entrepreneurship, ultimately leading to the founding of Rakuten just two years later.

Education

Mikitani attended Hitotsubashi University, one of Japan's most prestigious universities, where he studied commerce. He later pursued graduate studies in the United States, enrolling at Harvard Business School, where he earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 1993. His time at Harvard exposed him to American business practices and entrepreneurial culture, experiences that would profoundly shape his approach to building Rakuten as a globally oriented company. The connections he forged during his MBA studies also proved valuable in his later career as he expanded Rakuten's operations beyond Japan and cultivated relationships with Silicon Valley technology firms and investors.

Career

Early Career in Banking and Consulting

After graduating from Hitotsubashi University, Mikitani began his professional career in 1988 at the Industrial Bank of Japan (now part of Mizuho Financial Group), one of Japan's most established financial institutions. His years in banking provided him with a deep understanding of corporate finance and the Japanese business establishment. He subsequently attended Harvard Business School, and after earning his MBA in 1993, he worked in consulting, gaining further exposure to strategic management and international business practices.

Founding of Rakuten

In 1997, Mikitani founded Rakuten, Inc., initially as an online marketplace called "Rakuten Ichiba" (楽天市場, meaning "optimistic marketplace"). The company was established with just six employees and launched with a modest roster of thirteen merchants. Unlike Amazon, which operated as a direct retailer, Rakuten's model functioned as a platform enabling individual merchants to set up their own online storefronts — a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) model that gave small and medium-sized businesses access to the burgeoning internet marketplace.

The marketplace concept drew directly on Mikitani's post-earthquake conviction that the internet could serve as an equalizer for small businesses, giving them reach and visibility they could not otherwise afford. The model proved successful in Japan, where consumers appreciated the diverse range of merchants and personalized shopping experiences that the platform offered. Rakuten Ichiba grew rapidly and became one of Japan's largest e-commerce platforms.

Rakuten went public on the Jasdaq exchange in 2000, at the height of the dot-com bubble. The company survived the subsequent downturn and continued to expand, diversifying its business beyond its core marketplace.

Expansion into a Global Conglomerate

Under Mikitani's leadership, Rakuten evolved from a domestic Japanese e-commerce platform into a diversified global technology conglomerate. The company pursued an aggressive international acquisition strategy through the 2000s and 2010s, purchasing e-commerce and technology companies in markets around the world.

In 2012, Rakuten made a notable investment in Pinterest, acquiring a stake in the social media platform as part of Mikitani's broader strategy to position the company as a global player in the internet economy. This investment was part of a pattern of strategic stakes in emerging technology firms that Mikitani believed would complement Rakuten's ecosystem.

In June 2015, Mikitani joined the board of directors of Lyft, the American ride-sharing company, reflecting Rakuten's significant financial investment in the firm and Mikitani's personal interest in the sharing economy and technology-driven disruption of traditional industries.

Over time, Rakuten's portfolio grew to encompass e-commerce, digital content and media, financial services (including banking, insurance, and credit card operations), travel services, and telecommunications. The company's model became known as the "Rakuten Ecosystem," in which users could earn and spend loyalty points (Rakuten Points) across a wide array of services, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of engagement across the company's various platforms.

Englishnization: English as a Corporate Language

One of Mikitani's most internationally discussed management decisions was his mandate, announced in 2010, that English would become the official language of Rakuten's corporate operations — a policy he termed "Englishnization." The policy required all employees, including those based in Japan with no prior English proficiency, to conduct meetings, write internal communications, and present reports in English.

The policy was met with significant debate both within Rakuten and in Japanese business circles more broadly. Critics questioned whether forcing Japanese employees to operate in a non-native language would reduce productivity and create unnecessary stress. Supporters argued that the move was essential for a company with global ambitions and that it would attract international talent while preparing Japanese employees for an increasingly globalized economy.

Mikitani's Englishnization policy drew comparisons to broader debates about Japan's economic insularity and the need for structural reform. The Economist framed Mikitani's approach as emblematic of a "New Japan" challenging the traditions of "Old Japan." The policy became the subject of a case study at Harvard Business School and attracted attention from multinational corporations considering similar language mandates.

Advocacy for Economic Reform and Civic Engagement

Mikitani has been an outspoken advocate for economic deregulation and structural reform in Japan. He served on various government advisory panels and was a prominent member of the Japan Association of New Economy (JANE), an industry group representing internet and technology companies that has pushed for regulatory modernization.

In the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Mikitani emerged as a vocal critic of Japan's nuclear energy policy, calling for a phase-out of nuclear power. His antinuclear stance put him at odds with much of the Japanese business establishment, which generally supported the continuation of nuclear energy as essential to the nation's industrial base. Mikitani reportedly withdrew from Keidanren, Japan's most influential business lobby, in part over disagreements regarding energy policy and the pace of economic reform.

Rakuten Mobile and Telecommunications

One of the most ambitious — and controversial — chapters of Mikitani's career has been Rakuten's entry into the Japanese telecommunications market. Rakuten Mobile launched as the country's fourth mobile network operator, challenging the established oligopoly of NTT Docomo, KDDI, and SoftBank. Mikitani positioned Rakuten Mobile as a disruptor, building a cloud-native, Open RAN-based network that the company claimed would dramatically reduce infrastructure costs compared to traditional telecommunications architectures.

Rakuten Mobile attracted significant international attention for its technological approach, which was seen as a potential model for the future of mobile network deployment globally. The company sought to commercialize its network technology through Rakuten Symphony, a subsidiary that marketed its platform to telecom operators worldwide.

However, the telecommunications venture proved far more costly and difficult than initially projected. Rakuten Mobile accumulated significant financial losses as it built out its network and struggled to attract subscribers away from the entrenched incumbents. Industry analysts noted that Mikitani and Rakuten may have overestimated both Japan's readiness for a telecom shake-up and the global market's appetite for another telecom vendor.

By late 2025, Rakuten Mobile had begun showing signs of progress toward financial viability. In its third-quarter 2025 results, the mobile division reported revenue growth of 12% and recorded positive earnings for the first time in a key metric, marking an important milestone in its long march toward profitability.

Artificial Intelligence Advocacy

In the mid-2020s, Mikitani became an active commentator on artificial intelligence policy, writing and speaking publicly about Japan's potential to become a leader in AI development. In a January 2026 essay for Project Syndicate, Mikitani argued that Japan's combination of public acceptance of technology and policymakers' "innovation-first" approach to regulation positioned the country favorably in the global AI race. This view was further elaborated in an essay published by Arab News, in which Mikitani discussed the ways Japan's AI-friendly regulatory approach was beginning to produce results.

Recent Partnerships and Diplomatic Engagement

In February 2026, Rakuten announced a partnership with Google to launch a new shopping service in Japan integrated with YouTube, allowing users to purchase products from Rakuten's marketplace while watching YouTube content.

Mikitani has also engaged in diplomatic activities as a representative of Japanese business interests. In December 2025, during an official visit to Japan by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Mikitani met with the Kazakh leader to discuss potential cooperation and business opportunities.

In January 2026, Mikitani resigned from the board of directors of AST SpaceMobile, a satellite communications company. The company stated that his departure was unrelated to any disagreement with the firm's operations or practices.

Sports and Cultural Involvement

Vissel Kobe

In December 2014, Rakuten acquired the J1 League football club Vissel Kobe, and Mikitani assumed the role of chairman. The acquisition reflected Mikitani's personal connection to his hometown of Kobe as well as a strategic interest in the intersection of sports, media, and technology.

Under Mikitani's ownership, Vissel Kobe signed several high-profile international players and raised the club's global visibility. Rakuten also became a shirt sponsor and commercial partner of FC Barcelona, one of the world's most prominent football clubs, further connecting Mikitani's sports and business interests. In July 2025, Mikitani played a role in resolving logistical issues that threatened to derail FC Barcelona's preseason tour of Japan, describing it as "the hardest task we have ever taken on."

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

Mikitani serves as chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, one of Japan's oldest and most prominent symphony orchestras. His involvement with the orchestra reflects a broader engagement with Japanese cultural institutions.

Boston Red Sox Connection

Mikitani's business and sports interests extended to Major League Baseball as well. Following the Boston Red Sox' 2013 World Series championship, media coverage noted a connection between Mikitani and the Red Sox organization, with The Boston Globe reporting on the shared championship culture between the Red Sox and Rakuten's baseball-related interests in Japan.

Personal Life

Hiroshi Mikitani is married and has two children. He maintains a relatively private personal life compared to the public profile of his business activities.

Mikitani has been described by Reuters as among those Japanese business leaders who have taken unconventional public stances on national policy issues, particularly regarding nuclear energy following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. His willingness to challenge the Japanese establishment on issues such as energy policy, corporate language, and economic reform has set him apart from many of his peers in the Japanese business world.

Recognition

Mikitani has received a number of honors and awards recognizing his contributions to business and international relations.

In February 2014, the French government awarded Mikitani the Legion of Honour (Légion d'honneur), France's highest decoration, in recognition of his contributions to Franco-Japanese business relations and Rakuten's investments in French technology companies.

His profile as a reformist business leader has earned him extensive coverage in international media, including feature profiles in the Financial Times, Wired, Bloomberg Businessweek, and The Economist. Wired notably characterized him as "Japan's answer to Jeff Bezos," a comparison that reflected both his e-commerce empire and his willingness to challenge established business norms.

Legacy

Hiroshi Mikitani's career has encompassed the founding and growth of one of Asia's largest internet companies, a sustained effort to reshape Japanese corporate culture, and high-profile ventures in telecommunications, sports, and international investment. Rakuten's ecosystem model — integrating e-commerce, fintech, digital content, and mobile telecommunications under a unified loyalty points system — represents a distinctive approach to platform business building that has been studied and emulated by companies in multiple markets.

His Englishnization policy, whatever its internal reception, helped catalyze a broader conversation in Japan about the role of language in global competitiveness and corporate internationalization. His public stance against nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster and his departure from Keidanren marked him as a figure willing to break with the consensus-driven traditions of Japanese business leadership.

The Rakuten Mobile venture, despite its significant financial costs and ongoing debate about its long-term viability, has contributed to a broader global discussion about the potential of Open RAN technology and cloud-native network architectures to reshape the telecommunications industry. Whether the mobile division ultimately achieves sustainable profitability will be a defining question for Mikitani's legacy as a business strategist.

In the 2020s, Mikitani has positioned himself as an advocate for Japan's potential as an AI leader, arguing that the country's regulatory environment and cultural attitudes toward technology provide a foundation for innovation in the field. His continued active role as CEO of Rakuten, combined with his investments, board memberships, and public commentary, ensure that he remains a central figure in the Japanese and global technology landscape.