At 30, Tetsushi Nakamura is a seasoned stock investor. The system engineer from Hibarigaoka, Saitama Prefecture, got his hands on stocks when he was in his fourth year of elementary school, buying shares of a construction company on his dad's advice.

Nakamura now has about 3.5 million yen invested in various companies, despite a recent downturn in the nation's stock market that has caused the value of his stocks to shrink by some 500,000 yen since the beginning of the year.

"The loss doesn't shock me," Nakamura said. "I actually wish I had more money now because this is the best time to buy stocks."