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Comment by diasks2 | Hacker News Reader

Interesting interview. Although Mr. Hori seems optimistic about the younger generations in Japan (and I would like to agree with him), I still think that the "New Japan" he describes is much, much smaller than he makes it out to be. Overall though, I have seen a lot of positive progress in the entrepreneurial community in Japan over the past couple of years, especially with regards to incubators/accelerators gaining more traction.

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I think it is a smaller demographic than the article makes out, but I think that the "New Japan" is going to NEED to come about in the next 10 years if we have any chance of staying afloat as an economic power.

Because of our aging population, in the next 15 years, 1/6th of our population will die. While the strain on the pension system will be lifted, I'm left to wonder if the seniority system has gotten to the point where there will be no changing of the guards -- and the future generations are left in charge of something that they have no idea how to maintain.

There's a saying in Japanese that companies last for 3 Generations:

1) The 1st Generation Innovates & Creates

2) The 2nd Generation only knows how to Maintain

3) The 3rd Generation only knows how to Decline

There are exceptions of course, but as a generality, I have found it to be mainly true.

I agree. I've been working in the startup scene in Japan for the past couple years (and at GREE, one of the companies which is mentioned in the article). I have met a lot of very enthusiastic young entrepreneurs, but I am not yet sure that there is a big enough crowd of people with that mentality to call it "New Japan." He makes it sound as though there has been an entire generational shift.

These changes are mainly localised to startup communities in Tokyo. However, the movement has to start somewhere. As harisenbon says, if this generational shift to entrepreneurship and changing attitudes on new businesses does not occur, Japan's future does not look bright at all.

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