In a country where a stubbornly stagnant economy has turned the adventurous away from high-risk investment, fundraising has become one of the highest hurdles a startup can overcome. Young Japanese entrepreneurs in dire need of cash, however, are now resorting to "crowdfunding" to take care of their financing needs.
Crowdfunding makes it much easier for entrepreneurs, artists or other creators to raise money if they have a good idea worth investing in. It has also financed projects to support people in the northeast who lost their jobs and homes to the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Here are some questions and answers on the new micro-financing system.
What is crowdfunding?