Former truck driver becomes a billionaire with some help from Amazon

Masaru Wasami made the most of an opportunity in forging a partnership with Amazon for same-day delivery in Japan.

Masaru Wasami started working part time at a vegetable store at age 12, determined to help his ailing mother in her battle with tuberculosis.

Just three years later, he walked away from school and a promising future as a long-distance runner to thrust himself into the business full time.

He started in 1970 with a single truck--a few years later, Maruwa Unyu Kikan Co. had more than 100 of them on the road--and built a produce-delivery behemoth that now handles logistics for drugstore chains and supermarkets across Japan. Today he’s a billionaire, thanks in no small part to Amazon.com Inc., which enlisted