The respected Forbes business magazine published the first issue of its Japanese-language version Wednesday with the aim of spotlighting Japanese entrepreneurs keen to boost their nation's economy.
The Japan edition is published under a license agreement between Forbes Media LLC and Tokyo-based media company Atomixmedia.
Its articles will focus on up-and-coming entrepreneurs, business leaders, celebrities and philanthropists deemed capable of jump-starting Japan's long-stalled economy and revolutionizing its society.
Along with those original stories, the magazine will also translate articles from the English magazine into Japanese.
"Forbes Japan should provide inspiration to the country's growing community of world-class entrepreneurs," William Adamopoulos, CEO of the Asia chapter of Forbes Media LLC, said in a written statement on Wednesday.
Editor-in-chief Makoto Takano expressed confidence that the magazine will be a great success. Its debut comes at a "critical" time for Japan's fledgling recovery from decades of deflation, he said.
Among those featured in the first issue are Nobuyuki Idei, former chairman and CEO of Sony Corp., and Jin Nonogami, CEO of Veldt, a company known for its pioneering "wearable" technology — fashion accessories with Internet connectivity.
Forbes already publishes Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese versions. The brand has a combined circulation of 500,000 copies in Asia alone.
