Saji family

The Saji family is one of Japan’s oldest and best-known families due to their 120-year history as the family behind Suntory, the world’s third-largest Spirit producer. The family business began in in 1899 by patriarch Shinjirō Torii, who opened a store in Osaka to sell imported wines. He would later launch a distillery to bring Western-style whiskey to the people of Japan. As the founder, he took great care to grow and develop the company for more than six decades before handing it over to his son, Keizo Saji, in 1961. Under Keizo Saji’s leadership, the family business took a leap to the next level in terms of diversification and global expansion. After just over a full century of leadership from the first two generations of Saji’s, Shinjirō Torii’s grandson Nobutada Saji took the helm of the family business in 2001. He served in that position until 2016 when he handed the reins to his son and fourth-generation member Nobuhiro Torii. Prior to his ascendance to the top position, Nobuhiro Torii served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Suntory Beer, Wine & Spirits Japan since 2017. As of 2015, the family’s net worth was estimated at $10.9 billion, making them the third-wealthiest family in Japan.