Hidekazu Yokoyama has spent three decades building a thriving logistics business in snowy Hokkaido, an area that provides much of the Japan’s milk.

Last year, he decided to give it all away.

It was a radical solution for a problem that has become increasingly common in Japan, the world’s grayest society. As the country’s birthrate has plummeted and its population has grown older, the average age of business owners has risen to around 62. Nearly 60% of the country’s businesses report that they have no plan for what comes next.