Published by
Kyodo News
Kyodo News
Masatoshi Ito, the honorary chairman of Seven & i Holdings Co. and founder of the Ito-Yokado supermarket and the Seven-Eleven Japan convenience store chain, has died, the retail group said Monday. He was 98. Ito, widely credited for starting Japan’s first full-blown convenience store chain operations, died Friday morning, and his funeral was held privately by his family, according to the company. Ito started to work at his family-run clothing store Yokado in Tokyo after a stint at what is now Mitsubishi Materials Corp. and serving in the military during World War II. He set up the predecessor …
