We examine the separation of ownership and control for 2,980 corporations in nine East Asian countries. In all countries, voting rights frequently exceed cash-#ow rights via pyramid structures and cross-holdings. The separation of ownership and control is most pronounced among family-controlled "rms and small "rms. More than two-thirds of "rms are controlled by a single shareholder. Managers of closely held "rms tend to be relatives of the controlling shareholder's family. Older "rms are generally family-controlled, dispelling the notion that ownership becomes dispersed over time. Finally, signi"cant corporate wealth in East Asia is concentrated among a few families. � 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. JEL classixcation: G32; L22