Japanese billionaire Masatoshi Ito, who turned 7-Eleven convenience stores into a global giant, has been announced dead at the age of 98.

Seven & I Holdings, the parent company of the global convenience store chain 7-Eleven, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Operator of 7-Eleven revealed that he died of old age on 10 March, 2023.

The company said, “We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your kindness and friendship during his life and respectfully inform you of his passing.”

The convenience store company, which has hundreds of locations around Asia, is omnipresent, and Masatoshi Ito, is widely recognized with making 7-Eleven a household name throughout the continent.

Seven & I Holdings now operates over 83,000 stores worldwide, including 7-Eleven shops in 19 countries, about a quarter of them in Japan, and the Speedway convenience store chain in the United States.