Tadashi Yanai, born 7 February 1949 in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Fast Retailing — the parent company of Uniqlo, the largest clothing retailer in Asia and one of the largest in the world.
His Father: Hitoshi Yanai
Tadashi's father ran a small men's clothing shop in Ube called Men's Shop OS — which Tadashi eventually inherited and transformed into the Uniqlo chain.
His Wife: Teruyo Yanai
Tadashi is married to Teruyo Yanai; she has stayed largely out of public view.
His Sons
Kazuo Yanai, born 1977 — son; senior executive at Fast Retailing.
Koji Yanai, born 1979 — son; senior director at Fast Retailing, particularly involved in the company's international expansion.
The Yanai Family Tree at a Glance
Father: Hitoshi Yanai — owner of Men's Shop OS, Ube.
Wife: Teruyo Yanai.
Sons: Kazuo Yanai (b. 1977); Koji Yanai (b. 1979).
Tadashi Yanai:
- Born 7 February 1949, Ube, Yamaguchi
- Waseda University, Tokyo (BA Political Science and Economics, 1971)
- Joined family business 1972
- Opened the first Uniqlo store in Hiroshima, June 1984
- Renamed company Fast Retailing, 1991
- IPO'd on Tokyo Stock Exchange, 1994
- Chairman and CEO of Fast Retailing since founding
- Founder, Yanai Tadashi Foundation (scholarships, philanthropy)
What the Yanai Family Story Teaches Us
A small-town men's-clothing-shop father. A son who took over the shop and turned it into one of the world's largest clothing retailers. A wife who has stayed quiet. Two sons running pieces of the modern Fast Retailing operation.
For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Yanai story carries the same lesson. Some children transform their parents' small businesses dramatically. Hitoshi's small Ube clothing shop has, in one generation, become an international retail group. Write down the businesses your family started small. The next generation may build something on top of them.
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