Eitaro Itoyama

Who is Eitaro Itoyama?

Eitaro Itoyama is one of Japan's wealthiest citizens with a fortune estimated to exceed $500 million. He is a controversial figure in Japanese political and commercial life.

Itoyama has served four terms as a member of the Diet, the Japanese Parliament with nearly twenty years of active involvement in the ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party. He is also the Chairman and benefactor of an eponymous educational institution.

Itoyama is one of the largest shareholders and is a prominent investor activist within national airline JAL, publicly calling for significant changes to management and business structures, detailing his vision for change on his personal website. JAL management recently moved to compromise with Itoyama by appointing him Special Adviser to the Chief Executive Officer, signaling a possible conclusion to hostilities after six years of highly public disagreement.

He is also a best-selling author, with books on political and business subjects.