Better known as a manufacturing center, Chubu region is turning its talents to nurturing startups
The Chubu region, with Nagoya at its center, has never been known as a land of startups. Although the area is recognized as one of the nation's largest manufacturing hubs, few IT startups have been established and many students in the region tend to ...
If Masayoshi Son won't invest in Japan, why should you?
The SoftBank CEO's $100 billion Vision Fund is noticeably absent on its home turf. That speaks volumes about the health of Japan's startup scene.
SoftBank's Masayoshi Son urges Moon to focus South Korea on developing AI
SoftBank Group Corp. Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son proposed to South Korean President Moon Jae In on Thursday that South Korea focus on the national development of artificial intelligence, the presidential office said. At their meeting in Seoul, Son said the country should direct all ...
Sony and Daiwa Securities eye ¥20 billion fund to invest in high-tech start-ups
Sony Corp. said Wednesday it will set up a venture fund of around ¥20 billion ($185 million) with a Daiwa Securities Group Inc. unit to invest in prospective startups. Innovation Growth Ventures Co. has been established by Sony and Daiwa Capital Holdings Co. to support ...
To keep boredom at bay, more Japanese retirees are starting up their own business
An increasing number of newly retired people are starting up businesses, using their wealth of experience and knowledge while taking advantage of government loan programs. A cafe run by Yoshiaki Sato, 65, in a housing complex in the Wakaba area in Tachikawa in west Tokyo ...
Japan to allow foreign students to apply to switch visa and start their own companies
The government on Tuesday made a decision on a regulatory reform measure to allow foreign students to start their own companies. With the revision, foreign students will be able to switch their residence status while at university to one that allows them to undertake entrepreneurial ...
Japan startup making paper from stone seeks more pre-IPO funding
Making paper out of rock isn't just a novel idea — it saves water, is both recyclable and biodegradable and uses a mineral resource available anywhere on Earth. TBM Co., a startup known for its technology that turns limestone into business cards, plastic folders and ...
Start up, burn out: Services support Japan entrepreneurs' mental health in ultracompetitive culture
Rising entrepreneurs are often treated like heroes, with the media lionizing the way their startups lure sizable investments and how their innovative products might change the world. But their lives can be rough, as they are more likely to face troubles than leaders in other ...
SoftBank to seek $15 billion more for huge Saudi-backed Vision Fund
For SoftBank Group Corp., $100 billion (¥11 trillion) isn't enough. The conglomerate, which has reshaped the technology startup landscape with its Saudi-backed Vision Fund, is in talks with investors to add as much as $15 billion more to its already massive fund, according to ...
Entrepreneur's message to Japan's forgotten non-college-educated youth: You can choose your life
It wasn't until he turned 18 that Daisuke Kuse saw businessmen dressed in dapper suits up close and personal. Until then, Kuse — having spent all of his childhood surrounded by working-class families and friends in a small town in Kyoto Prefecture — had ...
Creating a level playing field for female entrepreneurs will unleash the tremendous potential of this country.
