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Originally, Yoshiaki was thought to have more of his father's no-holds- barred business acumen, but Seiji showed prescience and boldness in leading the Seibu stores to the forefront of Japanese retailing. The increasingly astute businessman predicted that young, affluent Japanese would spend more than their parents and guessed that they would prefer high-priced, stylish goods. Seiji's rise has not been totally smooth. In the mid-1970s Yoshiaki rescued his half brother from ruin when the Seibu Kanko Kaihatsu company, a leisure, real estate and tourism group, incurred debts of $550 million. The terms of the rescue were never disclosed, and it is not known whether the help was appreciated or resented.
Seiji has been one-upped in some family matters as well. One can imagine his frustration when, in 1964, the younger, illegitimate Yoshiaki broke tradition and presided over their father's funeral as chief mourner. Twenty years later, when the funeral of Yoshiaki's mother was held at Tokyo's Zojo-Ji temple, a blimp reportedly flew overhead publicizing a newly opened store belonging to Seiji's group.
Of the two, Yoshiaki "seems less concerned about the family past," says a leading Tokyo business writer. He may not see his brother's steps onto his turf as significant. "It's no use comparing us. Our philosophies are different, and we are in different lines of business," Yoshiaki has said.
But the brothers do seem to see their futures in the same arena: the rapidly expanding leisure industry. Seiji's Seibu Saison Group is branching out into hotels and what he calls the "comprehensive life-style" business. He wants customers at his stores to be able to buy a traveling bag, put it to use by booking a package tour, and take out a loan to pay for the journey. Yoshiaki has his own growth plans: he is looking at the expanding market in cable television and optical-fiber communications, in addition to more familiar resort-development projects at home and abroad. As they cross each ^ other's lines, will one brother decline to book tours to the other's hotels or choose to contract with a different cable or communications company? Tune in for future episodes on the brothers Tsutsumi.