Sprint Corp. Chairman Masayoshi Son recently bought a house in the Kansas City area, a sign the Japanese billionaire will be spending more time near the company’s headquarters.

Mr. Son, who lives in Japan and is also the CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., doesn’t plan to move into the house full time, said people familiar with the matter. He plans to stay there during more frequent visits to Sprint’s headquarters in Overland Park, Kan., they said.

Until recently, Mr. Son had held monthly meetings with Sprint executives at an office in San Carlos, Calif. Mr. Son’s decision to settle closer to the carrier’s headquarters is notable because it shows his increased commitment to overhauling the struggling carrier. T-Mobile US Inc. recently passed Sprint to become the nation’s third largest carrier by subscribers.

Mr. Son bought the house at the encouragement of Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, who wanted Mr. Son to hold executive meetings in Sprint’s principal offices, rather than San Carlos, the people familiar with the matter said. Mr. Son also owns a house in California that he purchased for reportedly close to $120 million.

Mr. Son’s house is near Mr. Claure’s in the city of Mission Hills, Kan., which is just outside Kansas City. The price of the sale couldn’t immediately be determined.