Yamauchi No. 10 Family Office
Image: Yamauchi No. 10 Family Office

It has been revealed that the investment firm that manages the wealth of Nintendo’s founders has purchased a majority stake in the North America-based Taiyo Pacific Partners.

The Kirkland, Washington 'activist fund' is "dedicated to friendly shareholder activism" in Japanese equities, and manages more than $3.7 billion in Japan and India-focused funds, according to Bloomberg. It will become a part of the Yamauchi No. 10 Family Office, which Banjo Yamauchi founded in 2020 to manage assets previously owned by his grandfather, former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi, who passed away in 2013.

It was earlier reported by Nikkei that the Nintendo heirs had acquired a majority stake from Taiyo CEO Brian Heywood and other founding members of the firm. Yamauchi No. 10's co-chief investment officer Hirowaka Murakami will be named as co-CEO alongside Heywood.

The family office refused to disclose the size of the deal, but Murakami hopes that the agreement will allow it to expand its reach in public and private markets in Japan:

We are very focused on ensuring that the spark of creativity never dies in Japan. Taiyo Pacific Partners will play an important role in our efforts to fulfill our obligation of passing down Yamauchi’s legacy – the fortune, philosophy, and assets – to achieve an innovative and enduring society.

Heywood added in the same statement:

The most dramatic and game-changing transformations in Japan have historically come when dynamic outside forces team up with domestically respected innovators. To us, Taiyo Pacific Partners and Yamauchi No. 10 Family Office feel like the perfect marriage needed to spark change and rejuvenate the market. We are excited to integrate the creative DNA of the founders of Nintendo into the unique investment process developed at Taiyo.”

Yamauchi No. 10 Family Office oversees more than 100 billion Yen ($867 million) according to Bloomberg.

[source bloomberg.com]