Rakuten Group, Inc., one of the world’s largest internet services companies, was founded on February 7, 1997 by Hiroshi Mikitani in Tokyo, Japan. Today, Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani serves as Representative Director, Chairman, President & CEO, leading a global ecosystem of more than 70 services spanning e-commerce, fintech, digital content, communications, and mobile telecommunications. With over 29,000 employees worldwide and consolidated revenue exceeding ¥2.5 trillion (approximately $16.6 billion) in FY2025, Rakuten has grown from a small online marketplace with just 13 merchants into a technology conglomerate listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE: 4755). Mikitani’s bold “Englishnization” policy, strategic investments in companies like Lyft and Pinterest, and entry into the mobile network operator space have cemented his reputation as one of Asia’s most visionary tech entrepreneurs.

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Hiroshi Mikitani – Quick Facts

Rakuten Competitors

Rakuten Group operates in the highly competitive global e-commerce, fintech, and telecommunications industries. The key competitors of Rakuten include:

• Amazon Japan – dominant force in Japanese e-commerce with ~25% market share
• Yahoo! Shopping Japan (LY Corporation / SoftBank) – major domestic e-commerce rival integrated with PayPay ecosystem
• Alibaba Group – global e-commerce and cloud computing giant
• Mercari – Japan’s leading C2C marketplace with 75+ million monthly visits
• ZOZOTOWN (Z Holdings) – Japan’s largest online fashion retailer
• PayPal Holdings – global digital payments competitor to Rakuten’s fintech services
• NTT Docomo / KDDI / SoftBank – Japan’s established mobile network operators competing with Rakuten Mobile
• Shopify – global e-commerce platform enabling merchants worldwide

Hiroshi Mikitani Net Worth 2026 – Rakuten CEO Salary

As of 2026, Hiroshi Mikitani net worth is estimated at approximately $4.2–6.1 billion USD, making him one of Japan’s wealthiest individuals. His wealth is primarily derived from his ~11.94% ownership stake in Rakuten Group, Inc., valued at approximately $1.4–1.7 billion based on current market capitalization, plus substantial holdings in Rakuten subsidiaries and early-stage investments in companies like Lyft and Pinterest. Forbes has historically ranked Mikitani among the top 10 richest people in Japan.

Rakuten CEO Compensation Breakdown (FY2024)

Rakuten Net Worth 2026 – Is Rakuten Profitable?

Rakuten Group has been on a path toward profitability after years of heavy investment in its mobile telecommunications business. In FY2025, the company achieved record-high revenue for the 29th consecutive year and posted its second consecutive year of IFRS operating income. However, the company still reported a consolidated net loss of ¥177.9 billion due to ongoing mobile network infrastructure investment, though this represented significant improvement from prior years.

Rakuten Group Financial Summary (FY2025)

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Rakuten CEO Email Address | Hiroshi Mikitani Contact

Below are the official contact details and social media profiles for Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani:

Career & Education – Company, University, & College

Hiroshi Mikitani’s career spans over three decades in banking, consulting, e-commerce, fintech, and telecommunications. Below is his complete career timeline:

Hiroshi Mikitani Career Timeline

Hiroshi Mikitani began his career at the Industrial Bank of Japan (now Mizuho Financial Group) in 1988 after graduating from Hitotsubashi University. During his banking tenure, he took a two-year leave (1991–1993) to earn his MBA at Harvard Business School, where he developed his vision for internet-based commerce.

After returning to IBJ, Mikitani was deeply affected by the devastating 1995 Kobe earthquake, which killed over 6,000 people in his hometown — including his uncle and aunt. This tragedy motivated him to leave banking and pursue entrepreneurship. In 1996, he founded the Crimson Group consulting firm, and on February 7, 1997, he co-founded MDM, Inc. with just $250,000 in capital and six employees, launching the Rakuten Ichiba online marketplace with 13 merchants.

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Under Mikitani’s leadership, Rakuten went public on JASDAQ in 2000 and grew through a series of strategic acquisitions, including Buy.com (2010), Kobo e-reader (2012), Viber messaging (2014), and Ebates cashback (2014, now Rakuten Rewards). In 2017, he secured a landmark €220 million shirt sponsorship deal with FC Barcelona. Most boldly, in 2020, Rakuten launched its own 4G/5G mobile network using the world’s first fully virtualized cloud-native architecture, challenging Japan’s entrenched telecom carriers.

Education

Hiroshi Mikitani Wiki – Age, Family, & More

Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani (age 60, born March 11, 1965) was born and raised in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. He is commonly known by his nickname “Mickey.” In 1993, Mikitani married Haruko Mikitani, who was his colleague at the Industrial Bank of Japan. Haruko later joined Rakuten to help run the company’s back-office operations in its early days. The couple has two children.

Notable Achievements & Recognitions

• Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award (2012) – highest honor bestowed on HBS graduates
• Chevalier, National Order of the Legion of Honour (France, 2014) – awarded for contributions to Franco-Japanese relations
• Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (2017)
• Spain-Japan Business Contribution Award (2017) – for the FC Barcelona partnership
• “Englishnization” Policy Pioneer (2010) – made English the official language of Rakuten, featured in a Harvard Business Review case study
• Japan Association of New Economy (JANE) – Founder and Representative Director, shaping Japan’s tech policy
• White House State Dinner Invitee (2024) – honored at President Biden’s dinner celebrating Japan-U.S. relations
• Vissel Kobe Owner – brought global stars Andrés Iniesta and Lukas Podolski to his hometown J-League club

Mikitani comes from a distinguished academic family. His father, Ryoichi Mikitani, was an economics professor at Kobe University and the first Japanese recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, teaching at Yale University from 1972 to 1974. His mother, Setsuko, attended elementary school in New York City and graduated from Kobe University before working at a trading company. His sister Ikuko is a physician (MD, Osaka University), and his brother Kenichi is a biology professor at the University of Tokyo.

Mikitani is also an accomplished author, having published several books including Marketplace 3.0: Rewriting the Rules of Borderless Business (2013), The Power to Compete (2014, co-authored with his late father), and Business-Do: The Way to Successful Leadership (2018). He has been a generous philanthropist, donating to earthquake relief efforts and making a notable personal donation to the Ukrainian government during the 2022 Russian invasion.

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About Rakuten Group

Rakuten Group, Inc. is a Japanese multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1997, the company has grown into one of the world’s largest internet services companies with a dynamic ecosystem of more than 70 services. Rakuten operates through three main business segments:

Rakuten Group trades on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under ticker symbol 4755. The company’s “Rakuten Ecosystem” strategy links all its services through a unified membership and loyalty points program, with over 100 million members in Japan alone. Rakuten Mobile, launched in 2020 as the world’s first fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network, now serves over 10 million subscribers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is the current CEO of Rakuten?

The current CEO of Rakuten Group, Inc. is Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani, who founded the company on February 7, 1997 and has served as its Chairman, President & CEO ever since. He is one of the longest-serving founder-CEOs in the global technology industry.

What is Hiroshi Mikitani’s net worth in 2026?

As of 2026, Hiroshi Mikitani’s net worth is estimated at approximately $4.2–6.1 billion USD. His wealth is primarily derived from his ~11.94% ownership stake in Rakuten Group, as well as investments in companies like Lyft and Pinterest. Forbes has consistently ranked him among Japan’s top 10 richest individuals.

What is Rakuten CEO’s salary?

Hiroshi Mikitani’s total compensation as Rakuten CEO was approximately ¥196 million (~$1.29 million USD) in FY2024, comprising a modest base salary of ¥10 million and ¥186 million in performance bonuses and stock options. About 94.9% of his pay is performance-based. His formal salary is modest for a tech CEO because his primary wealth comes from his large equity stake in the company.

What is Rakuten CEO’s email address?

Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani’s email address is [email protected]. He can also be reached via Twitter/X at @hmikitani_e or through his LinkedIn profile. For general inquiries, visit the Rakuten corporate website.

What did Hiroshi Mikitani do before founding Rakuten?

Before founding Rakuten, Mikitani worked at the Industrial Bank of Japan (now Mizuho Financial Group) from 1988 to 1996. During that time, he earned his MBA from Harvard Business School (1991–1993). Deeply affected by the 1995 Kobe earthquake, he left banking to start his own consulting firm, the Crimson Group, in 1996, before launching Rakuten in 1997.

Is Rakuten a profitable company?

Rakuten is on a strong trajectory toward full profitability. In FY2025, the company reported record-high revenue of ¥2.5 trillion and Non-GAAP operating income of ¥106.3 billion. While the company recorded a consolidated net loss of ¥177.9 billion due to mobile network investments, all three segments showed improving profitability, and Rakuten Mobile achieved full-year EBITDA profitability for the first time.

Article last updated:January 2026March 2, 2026