Forbes recently published its annual list of the world's billionaires for 2008. The list has shrunk considerably since 2007, when 1,125 people were deemed to have a net worth above $1 billion. This time only around 793 made the cut.
Bill Gates returned to the top of the list, with $40 billion in assets. Gates lost about $18 billion last year but still managed to overtake Warren Buffett, who lost $25 billion. These are colossal sums of money by any standard, more than what 1,000 average earners would make in their entire lifetimes together.
Forbes also published a list of Japan's billionaires (or rather, the 40 wealthiest people or families in Japan). But they haven't quite reached the level of their international peers. The wealthiest is Fast Retailing President Tadashi Yanai, who has a net worth of over $6 billion, a far cry from the likes of Buffett, Gates, et al.