SoftBank Group’s net profit for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 reached ¥1.83 trillion, approximately six times market expectations, with the primary driver being a significant surge in the valuation of its OpenAI stake. Bolstered by this, SoftBank’s stock skyrocketed 14.71% on June 1, pushing its market capitalization to ¥49.08 trillion (approximately ¥2 trillion RMB), officially surpassing Toyota Motor and ending its 23-year reign as Japan’s most valuable company. According to the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list, SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son’s personal wealth soared to $100.7 billion, overtaking Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani to reclaim the title of Asia’s richest person after more than a decade, and ranking 21st globally.
Regarding this market surge, Son stated, “The scale of this AI wave is at least 10 times that of the internet era, and could even be 50 times,” characterizing artificial general intelligence as the most profound productivity revolution since the internet and mobile internet. This explosive profit growth marks a partial payoff from Son’s years-long bet on the AI sector — SoftBank has deeply participated in OpenAI’s major funding rounds, now reaping the paper gains from the rising valuation, allowing Son, who had faced significant criticism over losses from Vision Fund investments, to reclaim the top spot on Asia’s wealth rankings.