Get the most out of your Inc. online experience by registering and joining the Inc. community today. Get access to all Inc.com content and priority invites to free Inc. networking events in your area.

Login using:


Or login directly through Inc.com

Turning Japanese (Entrepreneurial)

Is a start-up wave sweeping Japan?

By Michael P. Cronin | 
 

Is a start-up wave sweeping Japan? Possibly. Among the signs: Japan produced far more IPOs than the United States last year. Business planning courses are popular. A magazine for entrepreneurs was recently launched. And Tokyo may soon reform incorporation and employment law. Noriko Kameda, a Japanese-American business owner and author of Create Your Own Future, says the message is getting out: "Even business bureaucrats can become entrepreneurs." Women like Kameda seem to be embracing risk in greater numbers. A 1997 national business survey found that they owned fully 44% of businesses at the time; a recent conference for women owners drew a record crowd. Still, a revival is no sure thing: The success rate for start-ups has slid for 20 years -- owing largely to the country's persistent credit crisis.

Please E-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.

Read more:

  • 6 Secrets to a Successful Start-up
  • How I Hire the World's Best Employees
  • What's for Dinner? Ask These 7 Start-ups

    • Sign-up for our Start-up Newsletter