Having become the biggest Japanese vendor of business software for payroll and human resources by taking on Oracle Corp. and SAP AG in its home market, Works Applications Co. is now adopting an even more ambitious plan: breaking into the U.S.
So what's the big deal? Simply put, no Japanese software maker has been able to replicate the success that Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Corp. and other manufacturers have enjoyed outside the archipelago.
While theories as to why this is range from the government's focus on industrial prowess in the postwar years to an education system that does not encourage creative thinking, the fact remains that the only "soft" breakout industry from Japan has been video games.