Japanese telecommunications and media conglomerate Softbank Group announced on its website that its CEO Son Masayoshi will personally donate US$120 million, as well as his entire salary until retirement, to assist the victims of last month’s earthquake and tsunami.

Son, who suffered ridicule for being an ethnic Korean at the beginning of his career, has constantly expressed concern for the earthquake and tsunami victims, and has launched a variety of assistance measures since the disaster. However, the amount of money to be sent in Son’s latest personal donation surpasses totals raised by entire corporations—including that of Softbank Group itself.

The announcement posted on the Softbank website is as follows:

Great East Japan Earthquake: Donation of Relief Money and Aid
　
April 3, 2011—As a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on Friday March 11, 2011 a great number of precious lives have been lost. We would like to offer our deepest condolences to those bereaved, and our sincere support to the many people who have been afflicted by this disaster.

The SOFTBANK Group will donate one billion yen (US$12 million) as relief money and aid to support those afflicted by the effects of the earthquake and to support the recovery of the affected areas.

This donation of relief money and aid will be made through the Japan Red Cross Society, the Red Feather Community Chest Movement, and other organizations, as well as to NPOs and volunteer groups to provide emergency aid, and are expected also to contribute to the medium- and long-term support and provision of education to children who have lost their parents in this disaster. In particular, we are seeking methods of donation that can immediately provide relief money and aid to those urgently in need of support.

In addition to this donation of relief money and aid, with the same objectives, Masayoshi Son will donate ten billion yen (US$120 million). Also, from fiscal 2011 until his retirement, he will donate the whole of his remuneration as representative of the SOFTBANK Group to provide support to children orphaned by this disaster and the many other orphaned children.

We pray for the fastest possible restoration of the areas afflicted by this disaster and our group intends to continue to perform further support activities.

In the wake of the disaster, many people have declared that they will offer as much support as they are capable of. To the CEO of Softbank, this means donating an amount of money that most people probably can’t begin to comprehend.

At a time when it’s not uncommon for CEOs to end up in scandals for the way they spend their paychecks, Mr. Masayoshi’s act of selflessness is as surprising as it is praiseworthy. Surely, his donation will go a long way towards the support of the disaster victims and the reconstruction of the afflicted areas.

SOFTBANK Homepage: http://mb.softbank.jp/en/

Translation: Steven