China now has more super rich than Japan, mostly entrepreneurs benefiting from the country’s surging economic growth. According to a survey released by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch on Sept. 25, at the end of 2007 China boasted more than 6,000 people worth more than $30 million a piece, excluding their principal residence. Japan only had about 5,300.
Japan however is still home to 56 percent of high net worth individuals in the Asia-Pacific region, or 1.5 million Japanese with US$1 million or more in investible assets excluding their primary residence.
India and Vietnam are also seeing a fast expanding pool of wealthy residents. Like China, they saw the number of millionaires increase by more than 20 percent last year, according to this year’s Asia-Pacific Wealth Report.
Japan’s millionaires have mostly inherited wealth, making them far more risk-averse than the rich in emerging economies like China and Vietnam, who tend to be first-generation wealthy and far more willing to take chances with their money, Capgemini said.
Hong Kong’s 95,000 millionaires, led by a clutch of property tycoons, have the highest average net worth in the region at U$5.4 million, compared with a global average of US$4 million.
The region’s 2.8 million high net worth individuals account for nearly a third of the world’s millionaire population. In addition, Asia’s still solid economic growth should continue to boost the number of high net worth individuals by 8 percent this year and for each of the next four years. By 2012 their wealth should reach US$13.9 trillion, up from US$9.5 trillion in 2007, the survey predicted.
Last week, at the Seibu Department Store in Tokyo, Tomy Toys, a toy company from Japan unveiled a diamond doll. The specially produced doll with the name “Licca–chan” (The Licca-chan doll is a widely popular Japanese version of the Barbie doll) comes clad in a tiara and gown studded with 881 diamonds, a total of 51.4 karat.
This diamond doll was part of an exhibition called “Girlish Culture” geared toward what they describe as, “happy adult by fashion”.
This extravagant doll flaunts a price tag of $935,000! Certainly not a toy for every kid ^_^
This luxury doghouse was created in 2007 for a sales event at a department store in Tokyo and designed in collaboration with a maker of high-end pet goods. It’s worth3.9 million yen (32,000 dollars).
The most expensive doghouse in the world, large enough for a Chihuahua or terrier, is decorated with 7,600 crystal beads and has a pillow in the shape of Hello Kitty’s face.
“There’s been a boom in luxury couches for larger dogs, so we thought there might be room for something new,” said a Sanrio (the company behind Hello Kitty) spokesman.
Products created in previous years for the week-long sales event aimed at adult Kitty fans include a Kitty-themed “i” minicar from Mitsubishi Motors Co. and a Hello Kitty Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, which sold last year for $20,460, he said.
A Japanese boy looks at a 10 cm (4 inch) model of Japan’s rocket-powered boy Astro Boy encrusted with diamonds, rubies and emeralds worth about 100 million yen ($828,720) displayed at a Tokyo department store April 7, 2003.
Artist Osamu Tezuka, considered the father of Japan’s animation or “manga” industry, created Astro Boy as a serialised comic strip in 1951 and set his character’s birthday far in the future-April 7, 2003.
Set in futuristic Metro City, “Astro Boy” tells the story of a young robot created by a scientist to replace the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving father’s expectations, the robot embarks on a journey before he returns to save the city and reconcile with the man who had rejected him.
Summit Entertainment plans to distribute Imagi Studios’ computer-animated feature “Astro Boy” worldwide in 2009.
Fruit is generally expensive in Japan and the locals seem to buy the fruits only as luxury gifts. After theWatermelon auctioned for $6,100and the$2,000 mangoes, a bunch of grapes fetched a record $900 (for 35 grapes).
“We believe the price was probably a record high,” said local agricultural official Hirofumi Isu. Of course, as a French guy, I treasure grapes, but still… $26 per grape !
That’s how much one hotel manager in Japan paid for a bunch of Ruby Roman grapes, though, at an auction in Japan’s northwestern Ishikawa region where the grapes have been under state development since 1994.
Konno Utiyama labs Japan has developed the HRP-2 humanoid robot. The drummer robot belongs to the next generation of robots which have marked the advancement of motor control research. (source)
China now has more super rich than Japan, mostly entrepreneurs benefiting from the country’s surging economic growth. According to a survey released by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch on Sept. 25, at the end of 2007 China boasted more than 6,000 people worth more than $30 million a piece, excluding their principal residence. Japan only had about 5,300. 
