Bloomberg is reporting that Hiroshi Yamauchi, former chairman of Nintendo, has become the third richest man in Japan, now with a net worth of $4.8 billion (about 582 billion yen). With Nintendo DS and Wii performing pretty darn good in the hardware charts and Nintendo published software fairing mostly okay as well, the company's stock has tripled in value since the beginning of 2006. Ol' Yamauchi is smiling all the way to the bank with his billions, then cursing and spitting venom at the tellers, shattering marble tables with his cobra-headed walking cane.

Back on topic, Bloomberg reports that Yamauchi, 79 years old, rose from spot 11 on the charts last year to claim the number three spot. I can't wait for next year's chart! Michael McWhertor

Mori Tops Softbank's Son on Forbes List of 40 Richest Japanese [Bloomberg]

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