Mr. Takafumi Horie, the 33-year-old maverick businessman who built the Livedoor Co. empire from scratch, has entered the most difficult phase of his life, confined to sleep in an unheated, three-mat cell in the Tokyo Detention House -- a world apart from his posh Roppongi Hills residence. The criminal charges against him are likely to be classic -- window-dressing his company's financial performance and making false statements to mislead the stock market.
But the significance of Mr. Horie's rise and fall is much greater. It is something that induces thought about business philosophy in general and the values to be pursued by individuals in Japanese society today.
Despite his arrest, some young people continue to support Mr. Horie, known for his T-shirt-and-slacks attire in place of a suit and tie. They regard him as a rebel who has challenged the established order. Contributing especially to this perception was his attempt to buy a professional baseball team in defiance of the wishes of most baseball team owners and a hostile takeover bid aimed at controlling Fuji TV, Japan's largest TV network. Some of them thank Mr. Horie for providing inspiration that even a young person without a formal pedigree can make it big in Japan these days.