Saburo Arasaka

"Saburo is megalomaniacal and obsessed. He considers himself the most adept man to have ever lived, and sees it as his duty to elevate Japan to what he sees as its former glory"

- Corporation Report 2020 Volume 1

Saburo Arasaka (荒坂 三郎), went from being an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Pilot to the corporate God of the 21st century. Born in Tokyo, Japan he made the Arasaka Corparation into what it is today. Saburo is proud and honorable, and like a true Samurai Shogun he claims to be, he's power hungry.

Overview
"I hate America. I will bring them to their knees by supplying them with everything they want, and then strangling them with their own dependency. I will sell them the chain with which they will bind themselves to me."

- Saburo Arasaka, surveillance tape stolen by Rache Bartmoss

Although he is an ancient fossil and physically decrepit, Saburo Arasaka remains the genius he always was in his younger years. Despite his age, Saburo never gave up his control over the Arasaka Corporation. When his eldest son, Kei, became the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation in 1997, Saburo remained the chairman of the board and the true puppeteer behind all the major corporate decisions.

In 2020, Saburo was confined to a wheelchair. Doctors on multiple occasions had informed him that his body could not stand anymore cybernetic or organic replacements. As a result of this, he seldom left the Arasaka family compound near Tokyo, and he never went outside his beloved Japan. Despite his disabilities he made occasional trips to the Tokyo headquarters and the main R&D facility, however most of his time when he participates in board meetings and ex-executive conferences he does this via two-way screen or in a braindance universe where he appears as a feudal Japanese Lord.

Saburo's private office at the family compound has a terminal interlinked with the R&D computer. From this he can consult the database system or the analysts who worked on it.

Saburo is megalomania-cal and obsessed. He is highly arrogant and considers himself the most adept man that has and will ever exist, and he sees it as his duty to elevate Japan to what he believes it as its former glory. He works tirelessly to see this ideal come true. His family believe his dedication to his work is the thing that keeps him alive. Saburo concentrated so hard on building his Empire that he did not even begin having children until he was in his 60s. He firmly believes in the traditional Japanese values and enforces them rigidly at the family compound. He also maintains a classical decor inside the compound, dismissing any non-functional modern appointing.

Saburo plans to have his personality downloaded to an AI at the moment of his death. The equipment to accomplish this task is always ready twenty-four hours a day at the Arasaka Headquarters infirmary in Tokyo. A special team is on call everyday to transport him if he takes ill, or suffers any sort of trauma.

At the age of 158, he still reigns at the top of Arasaka in the world in 2077. He built Arasaka into a great empire in his generation. He's proud, honorable, ruthless and more hungry for power, then ever.

1919 - 1945
Saburo Arasaka was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1919 to a rich family that could trace their lineage back to the noble samurai of old. His parents were rich and more so his father was a shrewd businessman and Arasaka founder Sasai Arasaka. He grew up in the Arasaka family estate located just outside of Tokyo and at a young age he joined the Imperial Japanese Navy as a fighter pilot. He quickly rose through the ranks and by the age of 23 he had already attained the rank of Lieutenant. As a skilled flying ace he had over 20 confirmed kills and is said to have a fierce pride both towards his country and undying loyalty to his Emperor.

In 1942 during a routine bombing run over Guadalcanal, American Grumman F4F fighters engaged a flight of Japanese Betty bombers out of Rabaul Island. The Zero fighters escorting the Bettys broke out of formation to engage the attackers, and a pitched air battle followed. While Lieutenant Saburo was weaving in pursuit of one of the F4F Wildcat fighters, he passed though another American plane's line of fire. Saburo wasn't vulnerable long enough to be shot down, but several bullets smashed through the canopy, shattering his left arm and driving splinters of perspex and metal into his left eye and skull. Barely conscious, he let his fighter plummet towards the ground fifteen thousand feet below. Precious seconds later Saburo struggled back to awareness only to see the ground rushing towards him. Despite the punishing pain and the loss of the use of one arm he pulled back on his stick, leveled his plane and regained control with only a scant 2000 feet to spare. Then, patching himself up as best he could, he began the long haul back to Rabaul, fully believing that he would die somewhere over the 560 miles of ocean he had to cross. He managed to make it to the base despite his injuries.

After delivering his report he passed out and was transported back to Tokyo, where he discovered that due to his injuries he would never be able to fly again and he was also due to be medically discharged. His injuries were so severe that he was permanently blind in his left eye and that his left arm, although not amputated, was damaged beyond use. Saburo lamented over his injuries and wished he had died a dignified death over the skies of Guadalcanal, rather than face the humiliation of a cripple. He was summarily discharged from service and returned to the Arasaka family compound outside of Tokyo. Where he spent his days brooding over his loss.

Due to the dishonor he bought upon himself and his family, he considered ritual suicide (Seppuku), however he pressed through and remained in the care of his home. On August 15th 1945, the day of the Japanese surrender, the Emperor addressed the people and made note of their surrender, Saburo was thunderstruck. He was on the verge of seppuku in the compound's cherry tree grove of the hospital before the blade was able to puncture his stomach he had a moment of epiphany and a vision. Right at that moment, Saburo saw the wisdom of his father's actions. As family scion, that fortune would soon be his to control. He envisioned a Japan rising above the humiliation of losing the war, and becoming an economic powerhouse. Japan back towards a position of power from which it could dominate the world politically and economically. Saburo drew the half inch of dagger that had penetrated his abdominal muscles before the vision had stayed his hand and returned to the household. He began intense studies into the fields of politics, economics and history as to become a worthy successor to his father and to ensure that Arasaka would one day rule the world.

1960 - 1990s
Saburo took over the company in 1960 shortly after his father's death and branched out from the simple manufacturing company that his father started. Banking and Security along with Manufacturing were now the three pillars of the Arasaka Corporation and by the 2020s the once small manufacturing company had become one of the most powerful corporations in the world, not to mention during these years Saburo's wealth multiplied tenfold, and he had become one of the richest men on the planet.

Being such a dedicated worker, Saburo was late in actually marrying or having kids that could continue his legacy after he passed. In 1980, Saburo and his then wife had their first child Kei, a boy Saburo planned on grooming to eventually takeover the Corporation. He didn't stay married to one women long as Saburo remarried 2 more times after his first wife.

During the 1990s, Saburo kept busy he was able foresee the world market collapse of 1994 and the US collapse of 1996. In the end he manage to profit from it. He also started getting more involved in politics, corrupting the Japanese Government to further benefit his ideals. However many other Japanese corporations didn't agree with Saburo and his ideals, soon enough a group was formed to appose Saburo. Even with taking a lose against FACS, Sbauro still continued to lead a thriving corporation that's influence was immense. Saburo also remarried in the 1990s, to his third wife Michiko Arasaka, while together they had two children Yorinobu and Hanako. Michiko passed away shortly after having Hanako, who became the apple of his eye and wished to protect her from the dangers of the outside world. Yorinobu was put through to the best schools in Tokyo, while Hanako was home schooled by people Saburo trusted.

2000s
During his time after he sustained injuries, Saburo had undergone numerous surgeries to implant various cybernetics as well as a new eye and right arm for the ones he lost in World War 2. However, by 2020 at 101, he became wheelchair bound in his family‘s estate just outside of Tokyo. He handed his reins of the company to his eldest son Kei. During Yorinobu's 21st birthday, Saburo told him everything about the family corporation, Yorinobu disowned his father after being told the truth about the corporation's success. This deeply sadden Saburo, Hanako was never told the truth and instead was kept inside the family compound.

Saburo still participating in Japanese politics would soon find a foothold, allowing him to get some control. Despite Kei becoming the CEO, Saburo still ran the company from behind the scenes, having final say over everything as his puppet son stands in for him.

During the fourth corporate war, the Arasaka Corporation faced off against Militech, a corporation Saburo grew to hate due it's CEO Donald Lundee reminding him of the american pilot who shot his plane down in the war. However Saburo gave full control over to his son Kei, as he ran the war effort in Night City. Yorinobu behind his father's back worked with the Japanese Government to nationalize Arasaka, which soon cut off Saburo from Kei costing them the war.

2077
Saburo is still alive in 2077 at the age of 158 and is currently the CEO of Arasaka. His son, Yorinobu, has stolen the Relic from one of his laboratories because of his long-term rebellion against him. They haven't seen each other in decades at this point.

Ambitions
"Saburo continues to work for the fulfillment of what he sees as the ultimate destiny for his corporation: to bring about the rise of a new Imperial Japanese Dynasty under the name Arasaka."

- Corporation Report 2020 Volume 1

Like his samurai ancestors, Saburo was incredibly proud and honorable, and after his humiliating and crippling defeat in WW2 he planned to restore his honor by seppuku. He attempted this on August 15th 1945, during the Emperor Hirohito's surrender speech to the nation. It was this event that made him realize that Japan would never become the militaristic power it once was, but rather it could evolve into an economical and commercial power that could rule East Asia once again and possibly the world. Saburo began to study to one-day take control over his fathers company and to use his vast amounts of wealth to catapult the Arasaka Corporation onto the world stage.

Saburo uses three key areas of his company as tools to further his plans: the security division, the bank and the secretive black operations.

Within a month of his fathers passing black operations such as blackmail, bribery, extortion, assassination and abduction were already underway. These black operations usually uncover dirt on important figures such as politicians, celebrities and other corporate types, which Saburo uses against them—never for money—but for influence and information. As well as these black operations the company uses its security division to steal information from its own clients, who it had sworn to protect. The corporation has never been caught and the data stolen is not sold on for profit, but rather for Saburo to use the trends in the data to influence business decisions for the most profitable outcome. The bank is primarily used as a bargaining tool against other corporations that may be failing and need a previous load to stay afloat, but it has been known to be used for money laundering between Arasaka and the dummy corporations it owns.

Parents

 * Sasai Arasaka – Father (Deceased)
 * Yui Arasaka - Mother (Deceased)

Spouses

 * Michiko Arasaka - Third Wife (Deceased)
 * Ayako Arasaka - Second Wife (Rumored)
 * Naomi Arasaka - First wife (Rumored)

Children

 * Kei Arasaka – Eldest Son (Deceased)
 * Hanako Arasaka – Daughter
 * Yorinobu Arasaka – Youngest Son

Grandchildren

 * Michiko Arasaka - Granddaughter