Benesse

The Benesse Corporation started out as a small publishing company. From its origins in Okayama, Japan, Benesse has acquired subsidiaries in correspondence instruction, real estate management, personnel services, telemarketing, elderly care, truck transport, and warehouse storage (Benesse Corporation, 2003). Benesse was listed as the 517th largest company in Asia in 1999 ("Asia's Largest," 2001) and the President, Mr. Soichiro Fukutake, was listed as the 445th richest person in the world ("World's Richest," 2002). Berlitz International alone operates in 60 different countries. Benesse Corporation's group net profit climbed 21 percent on the year to 12.8 billion yen (US$119.7 million) in the fiscal first half ended Sept. 30.