The word "gaijin" is used in Japan both to describe foreigners, and to suggest their inability to truly understand Japanese culture. The term no doubt came to mind Thursday when the non-Japanese president of the giant Internet firm SoftBank used his own money to place a big bet on the company.
Japanese business executives might be tempted to dismiss the news as a typically superfluous gaijin flourish. They would be far better off if they simply followed SoftBank's lead.
Nikesh Arora joined SoftBank in late 2014 after stints at Google and an eclectic mix of tech and finance jobs from Deutsche Telecom to Putnam Investments. The promotion last month of the 47 year-old Indian-born outsider to president confirmed founder Masayoshi Son's desire to expand beyond Japan's aging, shrinking market — and to flout the prevailing norms of corporate Japan.