The Yazaki family is a three-generation family business empire due to their ownership of the Yazaki Corporation, the world’s 13th-largest auto parts supplier. The family’s business roots can be traced back to family Patriarch Sadami Yazaki, who started out in 1929 by selling electric wires for automobiles when he was just 21 years old. In 1941, he launched what would be his family empire as a factory that specialised in the design and production of wire harnesses. Today, that business has grown into an industry behemoth that could be found in 45 countries and generated annual revenues of $17.6 billion in 2017. Sadami Yazaki had two sons, Yashuhiko and Shinji, whom he groomed to one day take over the family business. That day came when Yashuhiko was only 33 years old, stepping in for his father as Chairman and CEO of Yazaki Corporation. His brother was at his side for more than three decades as company President. Today, the third generation, Riku and Ko Yazaki, are responsible for overseeing the company’s eco-friendly product lines. The Yazaki family’s net worth is estimated to be $3.1 billion.
