Alibaba and Ant Group founder Jack Ma is one of the most prominent figures in tech and, at one time, was China’s richest person.
Source: Reuters
However, the 58-year-old has kept a low profile since criticising China’s government regulators two years ago. His companies also encountered regulatory obstacles when authorities started cracking down on the country’s tech sector.
A recent report now claims that the business tycoon has been living in Japan for the past six months.
In addition, there have been sightings of him in countries such as Spain and the Netherlands.
According to The Financial Times (FT), Mr Ma has been living with his family in central Tokyo for the past six months.
Sources say that he often travels to the United States (US) and Israel or visits resorts in the Japanese countryside.
Last year, media reports claimed that he was seen in Mallorca, Spain.
Source: The Financial Times
In July, he visited a university in the Netherlands to learn about sustainable food production.
Source: The Financial Times
This comes after Mr Ma seemingly offended Chinese authorities by speaking out against government regulation, as well as a crackdown on the technology sector.
In 2021, Chinese regulators fined Alibaba S$3.5 billion (18 billion yuan) for antitrust abuses. Ant’s blockbuster S$50.6 billion (US$37 billion) initial public offering was also called off.
He has rarely been seen in public since.
Source: Bloomberg
FT notes that Mr Ma prefers to lie low in Tokyo, engaging in a minimal level of public activities and bringing his personal chef and security around with him.
Sources said that he visits a few private members’ clubs. One is located in Tokyo’s Ginza district while the other is in the Marunouchi financial district.
He has also purportedly become an enthusiastic modern art collector and paints watercolours as a pastime.
In addition, Mr Ma, who has mostly left Alibaba and Ant in the hands of new leaders, has continued to expand his business interests into the field of sustainability.
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Featured image adapted from The Print.
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