Takemitsu Takizaki, founder of electronic sensor maker Keyence, has overtaken billionaire Uniqlo Tadashi Yanai to become Japan's richest person.

Takizaki's fortune, according to Al Arabiya.net, is about $38.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, after his company's shares nearly doubled since the beginning of last year until Monday closed, as his rival, the founder of Fast Retailing, lost a fifth of his fortune in 2021, falling to $35.5 billion.

The exchange of centers confirms the transfer of wealth caused by the Corona pandemic to entrepreneurs specializing in factory automation, as the wealth of the retail magnate declines.

Keyence shares also rose with its prospective inclusion in Japan's preferred stock index, the Nikkei 225.

The chief executive of Ishiyoshi Asset Management, Mitushige Akeno, said of the wealth rating: This situation is likely to continue for a while.

Takizaki founded Keyence in 1974 and steadily built the company as a maker of sensors, measuring instruments, machine monitoring systems, and other equipment for industrial automation, known for its high profit margins and employee salaries. high.

Keyence's shares are up 96% since the start of 2020 through Monday's close, giving the company a market value of about $167 billion. By this measure, it is the second largest company in Japan after auto giant Toyota Motor Corp.

The pandemic has fueled demand for factory automation as governments around the world have imposed social distancing measures, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Takeshi Kitura, who noted that the profit margin The company's operational rate is more than 50%.

Keyence's shares also jumped last week after the announcement of the company's addition to the Nikkei 225 index in a major change of the popular stock measure.

Takizaki, who owns 21% of Keyence, has added about $5.9 billion to his fortune this year and is now the ninth richest person in Asia, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. /p>

In the meantime, Yanai lost $9.7 billion of his fortune in 2021, or about 22%, as shares of clothing manufacturer Uniqlo fell 18% until Close on Monday.

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son is the third richest person in Japan with a net worth of $26.9 billion.