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起業精神
起業精神
長引く不況は、失業や犯罪など
日本社会に暗い影を落としてきたが、
企業の伝統的な経営スタイルが崩壊したことで
新たな挑戦を試みる人たちが
増えているようだ。
Entrepreneurial Spirit
By CHRISTINE CUNANAN-NOMURA
The long recession in Japan has triggered many negative effects such as unemployment, rising crime and social instability. However, some positive points have also appeared on the horizon.
For instance, recent economic hardship has prompted the rise of entrepreneurship and the proliferation of venture
businesses. More people now welcome the thought of changing careers, starting their own business or selling a good idea,
product or service.
These developments are directly related to the collapse of the traditional Japanese systems of lifetime employment and company patronage. In the past, people preferred to find a job with a large company because this meant a secure and predictable future. These days, people are starting to realize that they have other choices — particularly if they are
ambitious and willing to work hard — although these also carry greater risks.
"High risk, but high returns," is a common belief among many achievers. It basically means believing that taking calculated risks is necessary if you want to do something different, new or extraordinary. This concept applies to all
aspects of life — whether it is starting a new business, moving to a new city, getting involved in a relationship or
investing in the stock market.
For these people, trying to do anything is risky, of course, but it is less risky than not doing anything at all.
Maintaining the status quo means giving up many opportunities altogether, while taking a calculated risk means
increasing one's chances of success.
In the past, it seems, few Japanese were willing to be big risk-takers. Today, however, the entrepreneurial spirit is flourishing in Japanese society. Many successful companies such as Hikari Tsushin, HIS, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Don Quijote and Trend Micro began with a great new idea or with an entrepreneur who was not afraid to go against the norm. Now,
many more small and still unknown companies and entrepreneurs are eagerly trying to follow their examples.
Two inspiring cases of entrepreneurship remain etched in my mind. The first concerns Ernest Higa, the
Japanese-American CEO of Higa Industries, which is the company behind Domino's Pizza in Japan. He told me how he began
his business in Japan, over two decades ago, as a young man not very fluent in Japanese.
The Japanese business world was still very traditional and closed to outsiders. He had a difficult time but he
persevered. One day he had an idea to introduce home-delivered pizza to Japan. People who heard his idea laughed,
saying, "Japanese will never order pizza by phone." But Higa pursued his idea, and look at his business now.
The second story concerns Steve Chang, CEO of Trend Micro, which is the No. 1 antivirus software developer in Japan
today. When I met Chang about one year ago in his office in Shinjuku, I asked him what was his best business experience.
Chang grinned widely and said, "I started a company three times and failed three times. I certainly learned a lot from
those times, and those lessons have helped me succeed!"
Being an entrepreneur is hard and is not for everyone. However, if you have the vision, the good ideas and the
capabilities, it seems there is no better time to start your own business than now.
The long recession in Japan has triggered many negative effects such as unemployment, rising crime and social instability. However, some positive points have also appeared on the horizon.
For instance, recent economic hardship has prompted the rise of entrepreneurship and the proliferation of venture
businesses. More people now welcome the thought of changing careers, starting their own business or selling a good idea,
product or service.
These developments are directly related to the collapse of the traditional Japanese systems of lifetime employment and company patronage. In the past, people preferred to find a job with a large company because this meant a secure and predictable future. These days, people are starting to realize that they have other choices — particularly if they are
ambitious and willing to work hard — although these also carry greater risks.
"High risk, but high returns," is a common belief among many achievers. It basically means believing that taking calculated risks is necessary if you want to do something different, new or extraordinary. This concept applies to all
aspects of life — whether it is starting a new business, moving to a new city, getting involved in a relationship or
investing in the stock market.
For these people, trying to do anything is risky, of course, but it is less risky than not doing anything at all.
Maintaining the status quo means giving up many opportunities altogether, while taking a calculated risk means
increasing one's chances of success.
In the past, it seems, few Japanese were willing to be big risk-takers. Today, however, the entrepreneurial spirit is flourishing in Japanese society. Many successful companies such as Hikari Tsushin, HIS, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Don Quijote and Trend Micro began with a great new idea or with an entrepreneur who was not afraid to go against the norm. Now,
many more small and still unknown companies and entrepreneurs are eagerly trying to follow their examples.
Two inspiring cases of entrepreneurship remain etched in my mind. The first concerns Ernest Higa, the
Japanese-American CEO of Higa Industries, which is the company behind Domino's Pizza in Japan. He told me how he began
his business in Japan, over two decades ago, as a young man not very fluent in Japanese.
The Japanese business world was still very traditional and closed to outsiders. He had a difficult time but he
persevered. One day he had an idea to introduce home-delivered pizza to Japan. People who heard his idea laughed,
saying, "Japanese will never order pizza by phone." But Higa pursued his idea, and look at his business now.
The second story concerns Steve Chang, CEO of Trend Micro, which is the No. 1 antivirus software developer in Japan
today. When I met Chang about one year ago in his office in Shinjuku, I asked him what was his best business experience.
Chang grinned widely and said, "I started a company three times and failed three times. I certainly learned a lot from
those times, and those lessons have helped me succeed!"
Being an entrepreneur is hard and is not for everyone. However, if you have the vision, the good ideas and the
capabilities, it seems there is no better time to start your own business than now.
Shukan ST: Dec. 17, 1999
(C) All rights reserved
- recession
- 景気後退
- has triggered 〜
- 〜 のきっかけとなった
- social instability
- 社会の不安定さ
- (have)appeared on the horizon
- 出てきている
- economic hardship
- 経済難
- has prompted
- 促した
- proliferation
- 急激に増えること
- are directly related to 〜
- 〜 に直接関係している
- collapse
- 崩壊
- lifetime employment and company patronage
- 終身雇用と企業による保護(忠誠心を持って働く見返りに企業から安定した恩恵を受けること)
- secure and predictable
- 安定し、予想のつく
- ambitious
- 野心的な
- achievers
- 成功者
- taking calculated risks
- 計算されたリスクを負う
- extraordinary
- 特別な
- aspects
- 局面
- getting involved in a relationship
- 恋愛関係を持つ
- investing in 〜
- 〜 に投資すること
- stock market
- 株式市場
- Maintaining the status quo
- 現状を維持すること
- is flourishing
- 盛んになっている
- Hikari Tsushin, HIS, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Don Quijote and Trend Micro
- 光通信(電話の加入手続き代理店)、エイチ・アイ・エス(格安航空券販売)、マツモトキヨシ(ドラッグストア)、ドン・キホーテ(ディスカウント店)とトレンドマイクロ(コンピューター及びインターネット用セキュリティ関連ソフトウエアの開発・販売)
- go against the norm
- 常識的なやり方の逆を行く
- eagerly
- 熱心に
- inspiring
- 刺激になる
- remain etched
- 刻みつけられている
- concerns 〜
- 〜 に関することである
- Japanese-American
- 日系アメリカ人
- CEO
- (= chief executive officer) 最高経営責任者
- Higa Industries
- ヒガ・インダストリーズ(ドミノ・ピザの日本法人を経営。日本に初めて宅配ピザを導入)
- two decades
- 20年
- fluent
- 流ちょうな
- persevered
- 屈せずにやり通した
- home-delivered
- 宅配の
- pursued
- 追求した
- antivirus
- コンピューターウイルスの侵入を防ぐ
- grinned widely
- 相好を崩した
- capabilities
- 能力