TOKYO - Japan's richest man, Yasuo Takei, who rose to fame as founder of consumer credit company Takefuji Corp. but retired in shame after a wiretapping scandal, has died, company spokesman Hiroshi Kaneko said Friday.

Yasuo Takei, the founder of Japan's consumer credit company Takefuji Corp., is seen in this undated photo in Tokyo. Japan's richest man Takei has died, the company's spokesman said Friday, Aug. 11, 2006. Takei was listed as Japan's richest man, along with his family, in this year's Forbes magazine listing of the world's billionaires, with assets of US$5.4 billion. He was 76. [AP]

Kaneko gave no other details, saying the company planned to release a statement later in the day.

Kyodo News agency, citing unidentified sources, said Takei died recently but did not give a cause of death.

Takei, 76, was listed as Japan's richest man, along with his family, in this year's Forbes magazine listing of the world's billionaires, with assets of US$5.4 billion. But Takei's reputation was tarnished in 2004 by his conviction on charges of ordering the wiretapping of a journalist who had written articles criticizing his company.

Takei turned to illegal snooping after the critical articles triggered a decline in his company's share price, making him suspect someone was working behind the scenes to discredit the company, the Tokyo District Court ruled.

Takei was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for four years, and his company, one of Japan's biggest consumer loan corporations, was fined 1 million yen (US$8,700; euro6,765).

After the ruling, Takefuji issued a statement apologizing for the trouble it caused to customers and shareholders. The company promised to prevent a recurrence.