Chinese billionaire Jack Ma ‘living in Japan’ after tech crackdown: report

The usually high-profile Jack Ma has stayed away from the public spotlight in China for more than two years and has avoided public engagements

Chinese billionaire and Alibaba founder Jack Ma has been living in Japan amid the Chinese government’s ongoing crackdown on technology companies, according to a report on Tuesday.

The usually high-profile Mr. Ma has stayed away from the public spotlight in China for more than two years and has avoided public engagements, coinciding with regulatory probes targeting e-commerce giant Alibaba and its financial payments arm Alipay.

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Mr. Ma has been living in Japan for at least six months, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

He has also kept a low-profile in Tokyo, where he is living with his family, along with his private chef and security, and “keeping public activities to a minimum”. Mr. Ma limits his engagements to visiting a few exclusive private clubs and spends his time painting and collecting modern art, the report said.

Many wealthy Chinese have left the country since 2020, to avoid the continuing “zero-COVID” pandemic restrictions that have both disrupted life in China and made it difficult for Chinese to travel abroad. International flights are yet to return to normal while all foreign arrivals are still made to undergo quarantine.