the board of Softbank, whose Japanese founder, Masayoshi Son, once idolized Fujita as a boy. He served as vice-chairman of Toys 'R' Us Japan. Fujita wrote eight books on business strategy. His first book, The Jewish Way of Doing Business, explained that Jews had taken over the business world and exhorted his readers to use Jewish business methods to become rich themselves. The book was also part autobiography, in which Fujita drew parallels between antisemitism and the discrimination he himself faced because of his Kansai dialect. (He also believed that Jews had settled in Osaka some 1,000 years ago, which was why people from the area were craftier businessmen.) Published the year after Fujita opened his first McDonald's restaurant in Ginza, the book was an immediate success and went on to sell over a million copies. His own words: He printed these words on all of writing tablets used in his company. Death At the age of 78, Den Fujita died of heart failure on April 21, 2004. Two days earlier, McDonald's CEO Jim Cantalupo had died of a heart attack. After his death, Japanese media wrote about his estate and entrepreneur-advocates subsequently questioned the government about inheritance tax that his heirs had to pay. All his personal property and investments, which were left over from his earnings after paying income taxes, was subject to Japan's inheritance tax. Awards and honors Business Week: The Stars of Asia Managers (2001) Forbes: World's Richest People (1999 - ) Blue Ribbon Award for business achievement from Emperor Hirohito (1986) References External links Business Week: The Stars of Asia Managers Japanese Bio 2004: World's Richest People - Den Fujita & Family 1926 births 2004 deaths People from Osaka McDonald's people Japanese billionaires 20th-century Japanese businesspeople 21st-century Japanese businesspeople