The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Yasumitsu Shigeta's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Yasumitsu Shigeta could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.7 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Yasumitsu Shigeta could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.2 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Yasumitsu Shigeta could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.7 years.
And yes, we can also compare it with a rich country
But they couldn't just cover the cost of a poor country; Luxembourg is considered the country with the highest per capita investment in education in the world, and Yasumitsu Shigeta could pay for it entirely for 2.4 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Yasumitsu Shigeta could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 10.0 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Yasumitsu Shigeta with Israel, the country that invests the most per capita in research in the world, they could cover the total cost of the system for 0.2 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries

Yasumitsu Shigeta's fortune is equivalent to 41 tons of gold. It's hard to process, since we don't usually keep a handful of gold bars in our piggy banks.

A standard gold ring usually weighs between 4 and 7 grams. Let's say this one weighs 5 grams. It's usually 18 karats.
Based on today's gold price (excluding the jeweler's commission, shipping, or anything else), that ring would be worth $546.86.
Yasumitsu Shigeta could buy 10,827,583 gold rings. That's a lot of fingers and way too many gifts!!
And if you're struggling to visualize that many rings, it would take 2 trucks to transport them. Although Yasumitsu Shigeta will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Yasumitsu Shigeta is chairman of Tokyo-listed Hikari Tsushin, which sells mobile phones and cellular services for major Japanese carriers.
The company also supplies electricity and gas to small and mid-size businesses besides selling insurance and office equipment.
He founded Hikari Tsushin in 1988. The dotcom crash in 2001 wiped out much of his fortune.
He rejoined the Forbes World Billionaires list in 2005 when shares of Hikari Tsushin rebounded.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison