Satoru Naito: Starting up in San Francisco
Moving to Silicon Valley was a no-brainer for Naito — it was where Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook, and where he knew he'd be inspired to start a business.
Yu Nakamura: A sweet affinity between Japan and Thailand
An entrepreneur and cultural innovator, Yu Nakamura helps Thai farmers with her coconut sugar business.
Helping bean-to-bar chocolate bloom in Japan
For Tomoya Yamashiki, chief strategist of Dandelion Chocolate Japan, Inc., U.S. entrepreneurism opened doors to a new sweet way of life.
From 'big in Japan' to far better in America
Megumi Ijiri Haskin felt so different to other children when growing up in Japan, that she aspired to live in the U.S. at the age of 17.
Japan's biggest flavors come in small boxes
Japan Crate founder Hank Rao on the way his "mystery box" helps bridge cultures and bring together families, the best and worst Japanese snacks and his dream KitKat flavor collaboration.
Yumiko Oho teaches the ABC's of life in Italy
The desire to escape Japan's old-school notion of gender roles paved the way for a former bank employee to discover business opportunities overseas.
For Hiromi Kano, head of a well-known Japanese mascot maker, the company's costumed characters not only bring joy to people but also signify the labor of love performed by her all-female staff. "Just as important as the happiness of customers is the happiness of our ...
Thirsty? This ryokan's faucets run with mandarin juice
Takashi Oyabu is the president of a company in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, that operates tourist infrastructure with a difference. Its portfolio includes ryokan (traditional inns), restaurants and shops that sell high-end, locally made items such as towels and ceramics. In the lobby of Dogo Yaya, a ...
More foreign students launching businesses in Japan
Three years ago, Tokyo resident Qi Hongqiang launched Skypechina, an online Chinese-language school, using ¥5 million borrowed from his parents back home in Hebei province, China. The 27-year-old graduate of a Japanese university needed the cash to fulfill one main requirement for obtaining an investor/business ...
Who wants to be a billionaire? Son's SoftBank academy vets entrepreneurs
If Masayoshi Son, the billionaire founder and CEO of SoftBank Corp. needs a fresh strategy to fend off a surprise French counterbid for a prized U.S. telecommunications target, he could do worse than ask budding entrepreneurs at the SoftBank Academia. There, some 300 or so ...
Motel owner provides rooms to the roaming
Makoto Kai, 62, is the founder and CEO of Hatagoya Co., which operates Japan's only motel chain. Kai, an avid biker, started the business in 1994 out of frustration with the lack of comfortable and inexpensive accommodation across the Japanese countryside. After traveling around ...
Entrepreneur urges mindset change
A U.S.-based entrepreneur who became the first Japanese invited to a U.S. presidential State of the Union address has said that Japan must shake off its "stagnation" by fostering innovation and ditching outdated ideas. Speaking in Tokyo, Hiroyuki Fujita, the 47-year-old founder and president of ...
