Japan: Building a Telecom Giant
Dr. Sachio Semmoto is a rarity in Japan. He is a bold, controversial and outspoken entrepreneur. He co-founded DDI Corporation (now KDDI) in 1984. KDDI is now capitalised at $60bn and employs over 35,000 people. It is Japan’s second-largest provider of telecom services. Semmoto shares his story of entrepreneurship in Japan, shedding light on the nation's culture, its strengths, and its political and economic challenges.
Sachio Semmoto
Co-Founder of DDI (KDDI Corporation)
Dr. Sachio Semmoto is a rarity in Japan. He is a bold, controversial and outspoken entrepreneur. He co-founded DDI Corporation (now KDDI) in 1984. KDDI is now capitalised at $60bn and employs over 35,000 people. It is Japan’s second-largest provider of telecom services. Semmoto then created E-Access, a competitor to his own KDDI, which he sold to Softbank in 2013 for $2.6bn. He is a lecturer at Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge. He has served on the Boards of 3i Group, Softbank, Sega Corporation and Japan Private Equity. He is currently Chairman of Renova Inc, where he is pioneering a series of renewable-energy initiatives to tackle climate-change.
