Who is Takaki Takehana? Exploring the True Background, Controversies, Overseas Life, and Current Situation in Detail!
There are many articles written about suspicions and various speculations regarding takaki takehana, and the current situation is that it is unclear what is true.
This article has been published with the permission of Mr. Takahana himself, after requesting fact-checking, so the content includes not mere speculation but the truth.
"What's the truth about Takaki Takehana?"
"I want to know the truth about Takaki Takehana."
If you're curious about this, please read this article until the end.
In late October 2020, Takaki Takehana became the center of controversy due to allegations of 'resume padding' and 'collusion with politicians,' triggered by the YouTube videos of Shinya Tabata, also known as the 'Aojiru Prince.'
Many people are unsure about Takaki Takehana's actual background, who he is, and whether the controversies surrounding him are true.
Indeed, on April 27, 2022, in the Official Gazette No. 729, it was announced that he donated 110 million yen to his hometown of Higashimurayama City, and was awarded the 'Order of the Sacred Treasure' and a trophy by Emperor and Prime Minister Kishida for his significant private donation for public benefit.
Therefore, in this article, we will delve into the truth behind Takaki Takehana's controversies and shed light on his actual background and deeds.
What We'll Cover This Time:
1. Takaki Takehana's Background
2. MUP, Founded by Takaki Takehana
3. Fact-Checking Takaki Takehana's Controversies
4. Takaki Takehana's Current Status
Table of Contents
1. Who is Takaki Takehana? Explaining His Background
- Profile of Takaki Takehana
- Experience of Studying Abroad in Hawaii and Acquiring English Proficiency
- Triggering Controversy: Experience with Google Business Outsourcing
- Overseas Assignment in the Philippines
- Employment at Recruit
- Establishment of Lim as Main Business from Side Gig
- Development of Instagram Tools by an Instagram Enthusiast
- Commendation from Empieror of Japan
- Commencement of MUP College from Employee Education
- Successful Business Ventures in Dubai
2. Takaki Takehana's Controversial Career History
- Was Controversy the Trigger? Integration from MUP to UR-U
- Are Takaki Takehana's Controversies True? Delving into Three Suspicions
- Massive Backlash from Former Google Employee's Statements
- Collusion with Politicians? Hidden Funds?
- Activities of the Takehana Foundation
- Suspicions of Takaki Takehana's Arrest
- About the Lavish Villa in Bali
- Synthetic Photographs of Site Employees
- Resignation of the Lawyer
- Was the 1 Billion Yen Donation to Higashimurayama City True?
- Award of the Order of the Sacred Treasure and Trophy
- Millions in Support for Orphanages in Pakistan
- Is the Amex Black Card Fake?
3. Current State of Takaki Takehana
- Fresh Start in Dubai
- Collaboration with Aojiru Prince (Yuta Misaki)
- Collaboration Interview with Shinya Tabata, the Cause of the Controversy
4. Conclusion
Takaki Takehana: Explaining His Background
We'll delve into Takaki Takehana's career history following the chronological sequence below:
- Career History
- Profile of Takaki Takehana
- Experience of Studying Abroad in Hawaii and Acquiring English Proficiency
- Triggering Controversy: Experience with Google Business Outsourcing
- Overseas Assignment in the Philippines
- Employment at Recruit
- Establishment of Lim as Main Business from Side Gig
- Development of Instagram Tools by an Instagram Enthusiast
- Commencement of MUP College from Employee Education
- We'll explain each point one by one!
Profile of Takaki Takehana
Takaki Takehana's career and titles are diverse as follows:
- Career History of Takaki Takehana
- Google inc Business Outsourcing
- SMS Philippine New Business Development (Initial Business Outsourcing)
- Recruit Sumai Company New Business Development Department
- Recruit Holdings Strategic Planning Department
- Former Representative of Lim
- Former Representative of MDS (Hong Kong)
- Representative of MDS(Singapore)
- Representative of MDS FUND LLC
- Representative of 12 other corporations
- After learning extensively and globally, Takaki Takehana's side business he started during his time at Recruit grew significantly. Without realizing it, his side business became his main occupation, leading to independence and success.
Without complacency, he established MUP College, a business school, and continues to produce many skilled individuals.
MUP College was integrated into UR-U (Your Uni) in February 2021, and the business continues to thrive.
Experience of Studying Abroad in Hawaii and Acquiring English Proficiency
Takaki Takehana studied abroad in Mexico and Hawaii from 7th grade to university, acquiring proficiency in English.
It's evident that the source of his easily understandable and proficient English was his study abroad experience.
Triggering Controversy: Experience with Google Business Outsourcing
Google
Subsequently, Takaki Takehana was stationed at Google as a "business outsourcer."
Initially, there was confusion with the term "former Google employee," but later, he clarified that he was an outsourcer.
In fact, more than half of Google's workforce are outsourced. In the United States, it's common for individuals to work as freelancers or contract workers.
In Japan, the number of freelancers is increasing, and currently, about 40% of the workforce works as freelancers.
Freelancers also play an important role in society, and while Takaki Takehana's wording may have been inaccurate, it's not necessarily negative just because he was an outsourcer.
There is information that the number of non-regular workers at Google exceeds regular employees.
While there were 102,000 full-time employees worldwide, there were 121,000 temporary employees and contract workers, forming a vast workforce larger than regular employees.
Experience of Overseas Assignment in the Philippines
After his experience with Google outsourcing, Takaki Takehana had an assignment in the Philippines at a company called SMS.
SMS Co., Ltd.
Takaki Takehana was one of the initial members stationed in the Philippines, and because the local company was not established initially, he was initially on an outsourcing contract with SMS," they say. Personally, I don't see any problem just because it was outsourcing, similar to Google.
He also talked about his assignment in the Philippines during Instagram live sessions, mentioning that he started a new business without knowing anything, experiencing many firsts, and even cried a lot because it was tough.
Joined Recruit
Afterward, Takaki Takehana joined Recruit.
After joining Recruit, he was assigned to the New Business Development Department of Recruit Sumai Company, a company engaged in housing-related businesses such as SUUMO, which many of you may have used before.
Later, he moved to the Strategic Planning Department of Recruit Holdings.
At the time, Takaki was listed as a member of Recruit's strategic department, which sparked suspicions of resume padding when it was claimed that "there is no strategic department in the media!" However, Takaki corrected this misinformation through tweets to his colleague Tabata and on his blog, stating that it was indeed the "Strategic Planning Department," with only the planning aspect omitted.
(Personal opinion, but it's unclear why omitting "planning" was considered problematic.)
During the controversy, business cards that someone might have received from Takaki in the past were shared on social media.
According to Takaki, the Strategic Planning Department was a small department of about 20 carefully selected individuals among the tens of thousands at Recruit. It was a team based overseas tasked with acquiring companies worldwide, handling highly confidential operations. Therefore, very few people within the company were involved, and Takaki had few acquaintances there, but he definitely worked as a full-time employee.
It can be inferred that being selected for such departments naturally implies excellence.
Later, while still at Recruit, he started a side business related to Instagram.
Establishment of Lim as Main Business from Side Gig
During his time at Recruit, Takaki was living in Kamakura and worked on his side business during his commute to the office.
Since he couldn't work on crowded trains, he secured work time by using the Shinkansen (bullet train).
The introduction business for Instagram influencers that he started as a side gig expanded, and before he knew it, the side business became his main occupation, leading to the establishment of Lim Corporation.
In the video below, Takaki Takehana talks about his thoughts at the time of founding the company.
Instagram Tools Developed by an Instagram Enthusiast
In a time when Instagram wasn't as popular, Takaki felt it could become a lifestyle app that would permeate society. So, he developed an automated Instagram management service.
His foresight paid off, and the Instagram management service became a huge hit!
The company also saw significant growth thanks to this Instagram tool.
Even today, although the company has changed, Takaki Takehana's group company, MDS Corporation, still provides Instagram management services.
MDS'sInstagram Management Service
Commendation from Emperor of Japan
Afterward, Takaki Takehana undeniably expanded his business and made numerous social contributions. Specifically, these include:
June 2020: Donation of 110 million yen to Higashimurayama City
Youngest individual in Japan to make the largest donation at the time (26 years old)
September 2021: Received Civic Contribution Award
Awarded by Mayor Watanabe
May 2022: Awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure and Trophy
Commendation from Emperor of Japan and Prime Minister Kishida, as announced in Official Gazette No. 729
Commencement of MUP College from Employee Education
As the Instagram tool became a hit and the company expanded, Takaki started hiring employees.
However, educating each employee individually would consume too much time. To address this, Takaki decided to record educational videos for employees to watch before joining the company, aiming to instill certain business skills.
This initiative gained popularity on platforms like YouTube, leading to its transformation into an app. In less than a year, the paid membership of the app exceeded 30,000, making it one of the largest business schools in Japan.
Successful Business Ventures in Dubai
Currently, Takaki Takehana has relocated the headquarters to Dubai, where he has initiated support services for Japanese companies expanding overseas. This endeavor has become one of the largest in the UAE.
Given his extensive experience living abroad, it's evident that Takaki primarily adopts a global mindset.
Takaki Takehana's Career Misrepresentation Controversy and Backlash
MUP College continued to grow day by day, and before anyone knew it, the number of paid members reached approximately 30,000.
At the time, Takaki Takehana was overwhelmingly popular as a pioneer among business influencers.
However, in October 2020, during a YouTube video by Shintaro Tabata, doubts were raised about Takaki Takehana's listing as a Google employee, leading to an immediate uproar.
From there, numerous suspicions arose, resulting in a sudden increase in the number of withdrawals from MUP.
However, as truthful information began to be conveyed sincerely, the backlash gradually subsided.
For more details on the controversy, please refer to the following article for a detailed explanation.
Was the Backlash the Trigger? Integration from MUP to UR-U
As a result of the backlash, in February 2021, MUP was rebranded and integrated into the current UR-U (Your Unity).
Led by Takaki Takehana, experts from various industries continue to gather and provide valuable content daily.
For more information about UR-U, please refer to the following article to learn about UR-U operated by Takaki Takehana.
UR-U (Your Unity) Online Business School Hosted by Takaki Takehana【2024 Edition】 Everything you need to know about Takaki Takehana's online business school, UR-U (Your Unity)! An in-depth explanation without favoritism.
Were Takaki Takehana's Controversies True? Delving into Three Suspicions
Regarding Takaki Takehana's controversies, the following three suspicions were raised.
Takaki Takehana's Career
Backlash Due to Former Google Affiliation Statement
The first suspicion regarding Takaki Takehana's background revolves around his former association with Google. To clarify, Takaki Takehana was stationed at Google as a contractor rather than as a full-time employee. However, the use of the term "former Google employee" led to widespread criticism and backlash. It's worth noting that in the United States, where Google is headquartered, a significant portion of its workforce operates as contractors, with around half considered non-regular employees. This cultural distinction is crucial to understanding the context of Takaki Takehana's affiliation with Google. While the nature of his employment may differ from the conventional perception of a Google employee in Japan, the responsibilities and workload were undoubtedly significant.
Allegations of Collusion with Politicians and Hidden Funds
There were allegations suggesting Takaki Takehana's involvement in cozy relationships with prominent politicians, visits by high-profile political figures to his residence, and substantial donations raising suspicions of bribery. However, Takaki Takehana has vehemently denied such claims, asserting that there was no inappropriate conduct or hidden funds involved. While there have been instances of interactions with notable political figures, such as visits by potential prime ministerial candidates like Shigeru Ishiba, no evidence of bribery or illicit activities has been substantiated.
Activities of the Takehana Foundation
Concerns were raised regarding the activities of Takaki Takehana's foundation, particularly regarding a school purportedly operated by the foundation in the Philippines. A video circulating online showed students wearing neck straps with the name "Colegio Sagrado Corazon de Jesus," a school based in Spain, which led to suspicions as there was no such school in the Philippines. However, it's important to note that historical ties between Spain and the Philippines have resulted in numerous Christian sister schools established in the Philippines. Eventually, it was confirmed that the school indeed existed. Additionally, it was pointed out that operating foreign entities without proper licensing would be inaccurate, leading to a correction in the description of the foundation's activities from "operating schools" to "supporting."
Takaki Takehana personally addressed these allegations in his YouTube videos, stating that the foundation's activities were genuine contributions to society, funded entirely by personal resources. He expressed frustration at the unwarranted criticisms directed towards him.
Allegations of Takaki's Arrest
There have been speculations regarding Takaki Takehana's alleged criminal record or involvement in criminal activities. However, these claims stemmed from a parody video released on April Fool's Day, where certain segments were taken out of context.
Concerns About a Luxurious Villa in Bali
The second controversy arose from Takaki Takehana's social media posts depicting a villa that he did not actually own as if it were his own. In a collaboration video with Yuta Misaki, Takaki Takehana admitted that while there was an agreement to purchase the villa, the transaction did not proceed as planned due to the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, which forced him to return to Japan from Bali before finalizing the purchase contract.
Allegations of Synthetic Images of Site Employees
A controversy erupted when it was discovered that photos of site employees used on Takaki Takehana's company website were actually stock images. Takaki defended this by stating that it's common practice to use stock images for such purposes and questioned the uproar over the issue. While using stock images for website content is a prevalent practice among many companies, the criticism directed at Takaki Takehana seemed overly zealous.
Regarding the resignation of the lawyer:
[Breaking News]
A fax stating "resignation as the representative lawyer" was reported to have been received by our lawyer from Mr. Hiroyuki Kimura, a lawyer at the Yodoyabashi-Yamaue Law Office, who acts as the representative lawyer for Lim Co., Ltd.
↓ This is in relation to the incident where Mr. Takaki Takehana was threatened by his account. The representative lawyer seems to have resigned first. pic.twitter.com/Khel7MTiYt
— Ebisui - a person who does marketing, production, attracting customers, writing, and design (pop, flyers, posters) on the web. (@ebyan2013) November 2, 2020
The Yodoyabashi-Yamaue Law Office is one of the largest law firms in Kansai, but Mr. Takehana stated in his video that "I just withdrew this insignificant small-scale litigation case because it was troublesome. It is not the resignation of my legal advisor contract. What are you misunderstanding?" From this statement, it seems that it is a resignation of the case, not of Mr. Takehana's legal advisor.
Is the 100 million yen donation to Higashimurayama real?
Mr. Takaki Takehana spent his childhood in Higashimurayama City, Tokyo, which is like his hometown.
Amidst the controversy, there were discussions about whether the 110 million yen donation to Higashimurayama City was forged.
However, on July 14, 2020, it was posted on the Higashimurayama City website that a donation of 110 million yen was made, confirming that the donation is indeed true.
The Higashimurayama side had said that they were going to purchase tablets for each student in the city's elementary and junior high schools.
Medals of Honor and Trophies
Furthermore, in the Official Gazette No. 729 issued on April 27, 2022, Mr. Takaki Takehana was awarded the "Medal of Honor and Trophy" by His Majesty the Emperor for donating a large amount of his private funds for public welfare.
The Medal of Honor is one of Japan's honors and is awarded to individuals who have donated over 5 million yen to public institutions or public interest corporations, and to organizations that have donated over 10 million yen.
As it has been officially awarded by the country, the donation of 110 million yen to Higashimurayama City is indeed true.
Support for Orphanages in Pakistan
It was announced by the nationally accredited non-profit organization Al Mustafa in Pakistan that MDS, the Dubai-based company owned by Takaki Takehana, decided to donate 40,000,000 JPY annually from 2023 to 2028. These donations are said to support a total of 7,500,000 medical patients and over 20,000 student facilities operated by various organizations.
For detailed articles, click (here).
For a detailed explanation of the controversies, please see the following article:
[Massive Backlash] Takaki Takehana Collaborates with the "Prince of Green Juice" (Yuta Misaki)! Revealing the Surprising Side of Takaki Takehana?
Is the Amex Black Card Fake?
During the backlash, it was argued that Takaki, then 27 years old, could not possibly have a black card at that age.
Indeed, the Black Card is known to be by invitation only, and it is famous that one cannot possess it without assets of several billion yen.
However, after the controversy, many card enthusiasts began to ask, "Is this real?" and it was eventually revealed to be genuine.
Afterward, Mr. Takehana also released a video stating, "The Black Card is real," and it was proven that he is a Centurion member of Amex.
Of course, being a cardholder at the age of 27 is the youngest in Japan, but personally, considering Mr. Takehana's background and income, I don't think it's "surprising" at all.
Mr. Takaki Takehana's Current Situation
What is Takaki Takehana, who was also suspected of causing a backlash, doing now?
We will provide you with the latest information.
Restarting in Dubai
In 2021, Takaki Takehana moved his base of operations to Dubai.
The reason for going to Dubai is that he mentioned feeling "small" doing business only in Japan and expressed a desire to start a business from scratch overseas, so he moved his base of operations abroad.
In Dubai, Mr. Takaki Takehana has started businesses in real estate and IT-related fields, and you can see his daily life on his official Instagram account.
In fact, from the financial statements of his own company that Mr. Takehana publicly released, we could see astonishing business growth. So, I have separately uploaded an article that includes all his current business, income, and business details. This is a must-read! (Honestly, it was quite an amazing amount...)
[Evidence Available] Thorough Investigation of Takaki's Assets and Income
Additionally, the current situation may also be updated on the MDS Group's blog by Mr. Takaki Takehana, so if you're interested, please check it out!
MDS Group's Blog
Forbidden Collaboration with the "Prince of Green Juice" (Mr. Yuta Misaki) Achieved
Mr. Yuta Misaki, a key figure indispensable to Takaki's controversy, invited Mr. Takaki's partner, Mr. Kazuki Sagari, as a special guest on his YouTube channel, which led to the first interview and collaboration on YouTube as they both operate in the same business channel.
In the video on Misaki's channel, there are detailed questions about Takaki's controversial issues, and Takaki's honest answers. Takaki surprisingly responded sincerely, admitting to everything from resume fraud to his villa and synthetic images.
After the interview, their relationship remained good, and there was visible mutual respect.
When I first had dinner with Takaki, I was impressed. As a token of appreciation for the dinner, he gave me a gift.
On the way back, for some reason, our driver also had the same gift. When asked about the situation, it turned out that Takaki had run up to him before leaving and gave him words of appreciation and a gift. I thought he was a wonderful person who could care for others around him.
Furthermore, in November 2021, Misaki invited Takaki to his customary host project, and the two worked as hosts in Kabukicho.
On the first day as a host, it was a completely different world, but I had to do it because if I gave up on the challenge, I wouldn't be able to show anything.
I didn't have any confidence, but there were people who nominated me, and I received a lot of champagne. I want to repay the people who support me and Kabukicho.
Through the interview and host project, they recognized and supported each other.
Although the two have reconciled, it's worth keeping an eye on future collaborations and projects between these two big-name business YouTubers.
For those who want to know more about Takaki and Misaki's collaborative interviews, please see the following article:
[Massive Backlash] Takaki Takehana Collaborates with the "Prince of Green Juice" (Yuta Misaki)! Revealing the Surprising Side of Takaki Takehana?
Collaborative Interview with the Trigger of the Backlash, Mr. Shintaro Tabata
Mr. Shintaro Tabata, the person who originally triggered Takaki's backlash, collaborated with Takaki when he worked as a host as part of a collaboration project with the Prince of Green Juice.
The two, who were thought to be at odds, maintained smiles throughout the conversation. In their collaborative video, they candidly discussed the circumstances surrounding the controversy and their respective mindsets at the time. Through the interview, Mr. Tabata, having observed Mr. Takehana's attitude, tweeted statements such as "I want to support him in the future" and "I'm in support mode for Mr. Takehana!", indicating his support for Mr. Takehana.
Mr. Tabata, who was the catalyst for the controversy, watched as Mr. Takehana collaborated with the Prince of Green Juice, answering each suspicion one by one. Seeing this, he thought, "He's responding sincerely and deserves support."
For those who want to learn more about the collaborative interview between Mr. Takehana and Mr. Tabata, please refer to the following article:
[Highlighted Interview] Takaki Takehana and Shintaro Tabata Finally Collaborate! Details on Their Current Relationship
Summary
We've discussed Takaki Takehana's background, the online school he founded, and even the facts surrounding the controversy.
While it's true that there were inaccuracies and misstatements from Mr. Takehana, it's also a fact that he has supported the skills development of many individuals.
Having reconciled with big-name business influencers like Yuta Misaki and Shintaro Tabata, they now acknowledge each other. It's worth checking out the following article, which explains in detail about UR-U (Your Uni), led by Mr. Takehana.
Explaining UR-U (Your Uni), Takaki Takehana's Online Business School: [Updated for 2024] Everything You Need to Know about Takaki Takehana's Online Business School UR-U (Your Uni)! No Holds Barred Explanation