Gift to support global collaboration in Japanese humanities research
Fast Retailing Chairman, President and CEO, Tadashi Yanai speaks during the company’s financial results press conference in Tokyo on 12 October 2023.
Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP
Tadashi Yanai, the founder and CEO of Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo, has donated $31 million to UCLA’s College Division of Humanities. This donation, the largest in the division’s history, will support the Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities, which he first helped establish in 2014. The funds aim to promote the study of Japanese literature, language, and culture, in collaboration with Tokyo’s Waseda University.
Yanai’s donation will significantly enhance the initiative’s web-based platform, Japan Past & Present, fostering greater collaboration between scholars of Japanese humanities worldwide. UCLA officials praised the donation, highlighting its potential to elevate global scholarship and deepen cross-cultural understanding.
In addition to his philanthropic efforts, Yanai is best known for founding Uniqlo, one of the world’s largest clothing retailers. His company, Fast Retailing, also owns brands such as Theory and Helmut Lang, and ranks as the third-largest clothing manufacturer globally, after Zara and H&M. Under his leadership, Uniqlo has expanded its presence worldwide, known for its high-quality, affordable casual wear.
This donation continues Yanai’s commitment to education, following previous contributions to UCLA and other institutions, including a substantial gift to Kyoto University for medical research.
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