InsideJapan News Network

Former Nintendo chairman Hiroshi Yamauchi has topped Forbes' list of the 40 wealthiest Japanese businesspeople.

The now-retired chairman saw his net worth rise by $3 billion (£1.5 billion) last year to more than triple what it was in 2006.

Mr Yamauchi's success is attributed to high-volume sales of the latest Nintendo games consoles, the Wii and the DS Lite.

Second on the list, with a $2.2 billion gain this year is property developer Akira Mori, while six of the top ten generated a rise in fortunes of more than $1 billion each.

The 40 wealthiest people in Japan now have a collective worth of $89.9 billion, representing a rise of over $10 billion since last year, according to Forbes.

Nintendo recently announced net profits for the last fiscal year, with sale of the Wii and DS Lite consoles credited for a sales surge of 73 per cent, which resulted in a 47.7 per cent profit rise for the corporation.