Uniqlo CEO goes against grain, vows to keep selling clothes in Russia

Fast fashion company Uniqlo will continue to do business in Russia as other major corporations close stores and halt operations in protest of Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war on Ukraine, according to a report. 

The CEO of Japanese retail holding company Fast Retailing, which owns Uniqlo, vowed to keep Uniqlo's 50 retail stores across Russia open, arguing that its citizens should be entitled to clothing and other essentials despite Putin's actions, global news organization Nikkei Asia reported. 

"Clothing is a necessity of life," CEO Tadashi Yanai told Nikkei last week. "The people of Russia have the same right to live as we do."