Aiming High
A Biography of Masayoshi Son
by Atsuo Inoue
The first ever English language biography of Masayoshi Son, Japan’s foremost IT revolutionary and SoftBank’s founder, chairman and CEO.
Based on over twenty years of in-depth interviews and study, Atsuo Inoue brings Son’s story to life in this translation of the Japanese best seller. From his humble beginnings as a son of Korean immigrants living in a shack in southwest Japan, to his aim to become No. 1 in the world as CEO of one of Japan’s largest Internet companies, Inoue richly details Son’s inspiring journey and the challenges he faced along the way. Told from the viewpoint of those who know him best—relatives, friends and business partners from around the world—the story reveals the truth about “rising Son,” the man who made “Information Revolution – Happiness for Everyone” his life’s mission.
Son was born in 1957 as a third generation Korean resident in Japan’s Saga Prefecture. He entered one of the Prefecture’s most prestigious high schools, attending for just the first semester before dropping out to venture to the US. He was only 16 years old. In the US, he acquired high school graduate equivalency in just three weeks through accelerated study and then entered the University of California, Berkeley. As a college student, he earned his first million dollars for the invention of an automatic voice translator. Then he came back to Japan to found SoftBank. Continuously realizing his aspirations, he made SoftBank into a multibillion dollar enterprise. He attributes his success to making decisions with extraordinary speed and by leveraging his friendships with innovators, including his close friend Steve Jobs.
“I will create a self-sustaining enterprise that lasts over 300 years.” Such bold statements have garnered Son attention from all over the world. But who is the real Masayoshi Son? The author Atsuo Inoue has covered Son’s career closely as a journalist and his insightful observations vividly paints an intimate portrait of the charismatic business revolutionary, who blends cool rational thought with fiery passion and genius.
“I’ve never seen such a comprehensive account of my life.”
–Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Corp.
Atsuo Inoue is a Japanese writer and translator. He established his reputation by depicting figures vividly and in depth through penetrating insight. He is regarded as an expert on works covering America and has authored
Political Sex Appeal – U.S. President and Hollywood, published by Shincho Shinsho, 2008
Michelle Obama – An American Story by David Colbert, 2009 (Japanese translation)
Making it Happen: the New 30 Year Vision of Masayoshi Son, published by Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha, 2010
How Wonderful, Frank Capra, published by Shueisha Shinsho, 2011
Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters of Marilyn Monroe, published by Seigensha Art Publishing, 2012 (Japanese translation)
