News Alibaba's Jack Ma hiding out in Tokyo

[thomas]

According to the Financial Times, Jack Ma, the Alibaba founder and once the most prosperous business leader in China, has been living in central Tokyo for nearly six months amid Beijing's ongoing crackdown on the country's technology sector. Ma's stay in Japan with his family has included stints at hot springs and ski resorts in the countryside outside Tokyo and regular trips to the U.S. and Israel, according to people with direct knowledge of his whereabouts. Since Ma criticized Chinese regulators and state banks two years ago, the billionaire has largely disappeared from public view. Both companies he founded, Ant and e-commerce group Alibaba, have faced regulatory obstacles. Ma has kept a low profile during his stay in Tokyo, bringing his chef and security with him and keeping his public activities to a minimum. His social activities centre around a small handful of private members' clubs, one based in the heart of Tokyo's posh Ginza district and another in the Marunouchi financial district. He has also used his time in Japan to expand his business interests beyond the e-commerce technologies of his two companies and into the fields of sustainability.

Ma has kept a low profile during his stay in Tokyo, bringing his personal chef and security with him and keeping his public activities to a minimum, said the people with direct knowledge of his whereabouts. His social activities centre around a small handful of private members' clubs, with one based in the heart of Tokyo's swish Ginza district and another in the Marunouchi financial district facing the Imperial Palace. The exclusive Ginza-based club has become a busy but discreet social centre for wealthy Chinese who have either settled in Tokyo or are on extended visits, according to members. People involved in Japan's modern art scene said that Ma had become an enthusiastic collector. Friends close to the billionaire in China said he had turned to painting watercolours to pass the time after being forced to retreat from his frenetic public life jet-setting between meetings with top officials in China and around the globe. Others said that Ma had used his time in Japan to expand his business interests beyond the core ecommerce technologies of Alibaba and Ant, and into the field of sustainability. He has largely turned over the reins to a new generation of leaders at both companies.

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Alibaba founder Jack Ma living in Tokyo since China's tech crackdown

Alibaba’s Jack Ma Has Been Secretly Living in Japan After China’s Crackdown

Alibaba founder Jack Ma has been living in Tokyo for the past six months, reports say. The Chinese billionaire largely disappeared from the public eye in late 2020 following his clash with Chinese …

observer.com

 

[thomas]

Tokyo University announced that Jack Ma would be a visiting professor at Tokyo College, a research institute run by the university. Ma will carry out research in sustainable agriculture and food production, it said in a statement.

Ma, who also heads his own Jack Ma Foundation, a philanthropic organization, will "share his rich experience and pioneering knowledge on entrepreneurship, corporate management and innovation," with students and faculty. Chinese regulators singled out Alibaba for scrutiny in a recent crackdown on technology and internet companies, having put the brakes on a planned initial public offering in 2020 of Alibaba's financial affiliate Ant Group. That came after he had criticized China's regulators and financial systems in a speech in Shanghai. Ma kept a low profile for several years and traveled overseas before returning to China recently. His appointment began Monday and runs through the end of October, the university said.

Alibaba’s Jack Ma turns up in Japan as college professor | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis