SoftBank ソフトバンク

SoftBank was founded in September 1981 by a 24-year-old Masayoshi Son as Nihon SoftBank, initially operating as a software wholesale and distribution business connecting Japanese PC software makers with retailers. The company expanded into publishing (PC magazines) and internet services, and became a major fixed-line and broadband provider in Japan through its Yahoo! BB service in the early 2000s.

SoftBank entered mobile telecoms in 2006 by acquiring Vodafone's Japan operations and rebranding it as SoftBank Mobile, becoming one of Japan's major carriers alongside NTT Docomo and KDDI. Beyond telecoms, SoftBank became known for large-scale technology investments — including an early stake in Alibaba in 2000 that grew enormously in value — and in 2017 launched the SoftBank Vision Fund, one of the world's largest technology-focused investment funds, making the company as much a technology investment conglomerate as a telecom operator.