Japanese Investor Tops World’s Richest List

This year’s richest individual: A Japanese hotel and railroad baron worth at least $9 billion.

Yoskiaki Tsutsumi, 59, ranks first in Forbes magazine’s annual listing of the world’s billionaires. The Walton family of Wal-Mart stores was the world’s richest family, worth $25.3 billion, Forbes said in its July 5 edition.

Tsutsumi, with interest in hotels, railroads and the Seibu Lions baseball team, is worth $9 billion through his 40% stake in the holding company Kokudo, the magazine said.

American billionaires comprised one-third of the list. The Walton family, which owns 38% of Wal-Mart, added $1.5 billion to its pile in the last year, Forbes said.

Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates was the country’s richest individual, worth $7.5 billion, up from $6.4 billion last year, the magazine said.

Here are the other billionaires in the magazine’s list of the top 10:

* Mars family, $9.2 billion, United States.

* Du Pont family, $8.6 billion, United States.

* Minoru and Akira Mori and family, $7.5 billion, Japan.

* Donald E. and Samuel I. Newhouse Jr., $7 billion, United States.

* Robert, Sid, Lee and Edward Bass, $6.8 billion, United States.

* Warren E. Buffett, $6.6 billion, United States.

* Erivan Haub, $6.2 billion, Germany.