Opinion

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.

Shukan ST: Dec. 17, 1999

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