Message from the Team

Dear Readers

Founded by a serial entrepreneur, J@pan Inc has always related to breaking the mold and starting new ventures. It’s not surprising that foreign residents in Japan particularly have a strong entrepreneurial spirit, utilizing their experience and knowledge of other countries to look for fresh opportunities in the Japanese market.

It is therefore exciting to have our first entrepreneur special, looking at everything from the innovative and resourceful one-man-band, to companies that have outgrown their start-up status and successfully brought their company to IPO. An informative article by Hugh Ashton sheds light on the story behind four successful entrepreneurs and the hurdles they faced along the way.

There is also an article especially tailored to you, the reader, on how to make the best use of being a ‘gaijin’ entrepreneur: via the tightly-knit foreign community. Dave Mori, the President of the Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo offers shrewd tips on turning, what might at first appear to be an obstacle, to positive effect.

In addition to our entrepreneurial feature, J@pan Inc continues to do what it does best by giving an insight into the Japanese business world. From a column looking at the dubious situation of a plot of Roppongi land that is currently locked in a turf war between various “developers,” to economic outlooks from some of Japan’s most insightful and knowledgeable analysts and financial reporters, we continue to fill the gap between Japan’s inscrutable business community and the reader’s thirst for otherwise unobtainable information.

Of course, we know that you need a break sometimes. A travel piece on the beautiful wine-producing district of Yamanashi, only an hour and a half from Tokyo, offers the perfect weekend break to de-stress from demanding city life. And there’s another challenging Sudoku on the back page to keep you occupied on the way there.

We hope you enjoy the issue.
The J@pan Inc Team