Beacon Reports

Expanding Japan’s Entrepreneurial Mindset

Richard Solomon — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 20:30:08 +0000

Prime Minister Kishida aims to boost yearly investment in startups and the number of unicorns 10-times each by 2027, under his “new capitalism” economic policy. It is an admirable goal, but one which cannot be reached alone by pumping more money into startups. Venture capitalists invest 40 times more into startups in the USA than […]

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Can Japan Inc find its purpose again?

Richard Solomon — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 09:00:06 +0000

With clear vision and purpose, Japanese rebuilt their country from the ashes of WWII. Yet once great companies such as Toshiba, NEC and Fujitsu have since withered under increased global competition. Can Japan Inc repurpose itself, in a more globalized and competitive world? A panel of experts speaking at G1 Global Conference 2022 in Tokyo […]

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Banking on Bansky

Richard Solomon — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 17:52:03 +0000

Tokyo entrepreneur launching street art non-fungible marketplace Marty Robert’s wife worried about her husband’s odd behavior. During the pandemic, the father of two stole out of their house in the middle of the night, jumping over fences, to scout for graffiti artists as they painted on the Tokyo canvas. Roberts said he was conducting market […]

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Schmatz co-founder offers Japan startup takeaways

Richard Solomon — Mon, 16 May 2022 01:50:24 +0000

A version of this article appeared in The Japan Times What’s the secret sauce to successful entrepreneurship in Japan? This author met Marc Luetten, co-founder of German restaurant chain ‘Schmatz’, to find out. Luetten and his partner, Christopher Ax, started selling sausages from a food truck in Tokyo in 2013 and went on to built […]

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Making the case for NATO Indo-Pacific cooperation

Richard Solomon — Thu, 12 May 2022 10:00:39 +0000

First published by The Japan Times Much of the postwar free world did not seriously concern itself with issues of national security. It didn’t have to, in a world where the U.S. was the only military superpower, its open border trade policy lifted global livelihoods and mutually assured destruction deterred major wars. Shifts in the balance […]

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Japan thought leadership events to return as more robust hybrids

Richard Solomon — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 00:44:52 +0000

Until early 2020, change makers of Japanese society gathered yearly at thought leadership events in Tokyo to share their visions about the country’s future. Covid-19 forced almost all organizers to stop staging in-person events, shifting their programs onto digital platforms such as Zoom, Webex and Skype. Post-pandemic, in-person events will likely resurface better and stronger […]

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Ending Child Abuse in Japan

Richard Solomon — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 07:04:00 +0000

Japan lags other countries in addressing child abuse. Its government only started to track the number of child abuse consultations delivered by child consultation centers countrywide in 1990. Consultations—nearly 200,000 of them in 2019—have dramatically increased in recent years. This is in part due to growing public concern and a string of media reports involving […]

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French father mounting Olympic hunger strike pins last hopes on Emmanuel Macron

Richard Solomon — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 13:45:50 +0000

Vincent Fichot is making a last bid effort to gain rights to see his two children. The 39-year old former French derivatives trader has been on hunger strike since July 10th, encamped a short distance from Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium. Fichot hasn’t seen his six-year old son and four-year old daughter in three years, since his […]

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Revealing Contemporary Japan

Richard Solomon — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 03:42:25 +0000

Recommendations Martin Schulz – “I had the great pleasure of meeting Richard (Editor-in-Chief) for an interview, which gave me an idea about why he is so popular, and how he works on his brilliant Beacon Reports. He arrived with a clear-cut idea and a full set of background research but wasn’t looking for soundbites. He […]

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How to succeed in business and life

Richard Solomon — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 12:20:55 +0000

One often reads how difficult it is to entrepreneur in Japan. The country lacks a robust new venture ecosystem. An entrepreneurial career path isn’t socially accepted. Too few entrepreneurs get second chances. The list goes on. In reality, starting a new venture is difficult. It is hard to secure financing. It is hard to find […]

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