Defying data showing a disappointingly low level of entrepreneurship in Japan, seminars aimed at fostering people who start their own firms are proving popular.
The events have drawn attention from government officials, academics and corporate executives eager to spark entrepreneurship as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration tries to nurture startup companies to reinvigorate the economy.
Experts who bemoan the systemic and cultural barriers to brisk entrepreneurship likewise see a ray of hope in the growing popularity of the seminars, including one named Startup Weekend.