Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son said Friday he will start training people in and outside the firm next month who have the potential to become its next-generation leaders.
He said he wants those people to raise the Internet conglomerate's market value to ¥200 trillion within 30 years.
"I would like to create a second Masayoshi Son, and I am not only thinking of one person but several people to whom I can pass on (my leadership)," said Son, who doubles as head of Softbank Mobile Corp., the high-flying mobile phone arm.
Softbank Mobile has been reaping the rewards of marketing Apple Inc.'s popular iPhone handset and iPad tablet computer.
Son, delivering a speech about his vision and growth strategy after the company's shareholders' meeting, said a new school set up by the company, Softbank Academia, will open next month with 300 students, with 30 slots allotted for non-Softbank employees.
Softbank's target of reaching a market value of ¥200 trillion in 2040 dwarfs its current market value of more than ¥2 trillion. Son voiced hope that Softbank could rank among the world's top 10 firms by putting strength into what he dubbed the "information revolution."