SoftBank unveils headquarters just as Covid-19 forces office decamp

SoftBank Group Corp on Wednesday unveiled the building that will house its new WeWork-designed headquarters, in a long-planned move that comes just as the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide forces a shift away from the office working.

Tokyo Portcity Takeshiba’s biggest tenant will be SoftBank unit SoftBank Corp, whose Chief Executive Ken Miyauchi told reporters at the unveiling that 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the wireless carrier’s employees are currently working remotely.

Excess space can be opened up to other group companies, Miyauchi said. Some of these are currently renting space around Tokyo from office-sharing firm WeWork, which SoftBank has taken control of globally following a series of missteps at the US startup.