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# Disrupting Japan

Startups and Venture Capital in Japan

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [The Japanese startup killing the nasal swab](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-japanese-startup-killing-the-nasal-swab/) - Sometimes it seems like Japan just can't figure out medtech startups. In theory, Japan should be one of the most active startup markets for medical technology. In practice, however, there are relatively few success cases. Today we are going to meet one of those success cases and talk with Sho Okiyama, MD and founder of
- [How Uber’s Failure in Japan Can Help Startups Everywhere](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-ubers-failure-in-japan-can-help-startups-everywhere/) - Uber’s disastrous failure in Japan was not caused by local competition, but by a uniquely American strategy that simply could not work in Japan. You see, Uber represents a new kind of startup. The very thing that makes them so successful in America dooms them to failure in Japan.
- [Using cold storage to lower energy prices in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/using-cold-storage-to-lower-energy-prices-in-japan/) - This summer has sent both temperatures and electricity prices soaring. One Japanese startup, however, has found a way to use industrial cold storage to reduce our energy bills. Today we sit down with Takehito Nishiyama, the CEO Greenphard Energy, and we talk about what it takes for startups to meaningfully compete in Japan's energy markets,
- [Soft robots are solving hard problems in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/soft-robots-are-solving-hard-problems-in-japan/) - Slithering robots sounds vaguely horrifying, but it turns out they're incredibly useful. Soft-robots lack the charisma of their more acrobatically-inclined rigid counterparts, but some startups are betting on the unique role they have to play. Today we sit down with Toru Ichihashi, the CEO Solaris, and we talk about what it takes to turn a
- [What the world really thinks about Japanese robotics](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-the-world-really-thinks-about-japanese-robotics/) - Japan was once the the undisputed global leader in robotics, but that's simply not true today. In fact, with China and America dominating the spotlight, many question whether Japan is even still in the game. Well, last month I had the chance to find out what the world really thinks. At the inaugural Tokyo Humanoids
- [The future of AI looks very different in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-future-of-ai-looks-very-different-in-japan/) - Japan is much further ahead in real AI deployment than most people realize. Today we talk with David Ha, CEO of Sakana AI, Japan's clearly most valuable, and arguably most innovative, AI startup, and he explains how Japanese enterprises are using AI in production environments today. We talk about selling advanced software to conservative enterprises,
- [Why Japanese Femtech is so different](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-japanese-femtech-is-so-different/) - Things don't always go as planned. In fact, they usually don't. Four years ago, femtech was both a rapidly-growing product category and a nationwide movement vocally championed by politicians, industry, and the media. As the market began to grow, however, Japan's incumbents took note and took action. The femtech social movement began to decouple from
- [The real Luddites would have loved AI](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-real-luddites-would-have-loved-ai/) - Welcome to Disrupting Japan, straight talk from Japan’s most innovative founders and VCs. This is our 250th episode, and I wanted to give you something special; something I have been thinking about more and more as my career in startups and venture capital has developed. Leave a comment Today we are going to talk about a
- [What’s next for Physical AI in Japan?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/whats-next-for-physical-ai-in-japan/) - I have a short in-between edition for you today. Last month at Venture Cafe's big global gathering in Tokyo, I had a chance to sit down on stage with two old friends of the podcast, and we talked about where physical AI is heading in Japan. This conversation is with Chiamin Lai, general partner of
- [Japan's Startup Renaissance - Creativity, Risk & Process](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japans-startup-renaissance-creativity-risk-and-process/) - So many things that are labeled as "cultural differences" have much simpler explanations. There are perfectly rational (and even mathematical) reasons why we have not seen a lot of entrepreneurship in Japan over the last 50 years, why we are starting to see a lot more of if now, and why we are likely to see an explosion of Japanese startups in the coming decade.
- [Why Japan Will Thrive on Disruption](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-japan-will-thrive-on-disruption/) - Too many things that are labeled as "cultural differences" have much simpler explanations. There are perfectly rational (and even mathematical) reasons why we have not seen a lot of entrepreneurship in Japan over the last 50 years, why we are starting to see a lot more of if now, and why we are likely to see an explosion of Japanese startups in the coming decade. In this episode, we look what happens in Japan when the gatekeepers who stand between the creative people and the broader public are removed.
- [Japanese Startups, This Must Change Now!](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japanese-startups-this-must-change-now/) - Overall trends are going pretty well for startups in Japan, but things could be a lot better. One strange thing seems to be that almost everyone asking how to improve things for startup in Japan are either government officials, academics or venture capitalists. It's fantastic that they are interested, and their interest in sincere, but there is only so much they can do. What needs to happen ...
- [I Was Wrong.  Startups Are Not the Future of Innovation in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/startups-not-future-innovation-japan/) - This is a rather personal episode. We have no guests this time. It’s just you and me. We talk a lot about Japanese startups on this show and the role they will play in shaping Japan's economic future. Well, today we are going to look at this from a different angle; one that puts the
- [The Real Reason Uber is Failing in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/real-reason-uber-failing-japan/) - Uber and Airbnb represent a new very kind of startup, one that could not have existed twenty years ago, and the very thing that make these companies so transformative in the United States ensures they will never succeed in Japan. You see...
- [DJ Selects: The Real Reason Uber is Failing in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/dj-selects-the-real-reason-uber-is-failing-in-japan/) - Uber and Airbnb represent a new very kind of startup, one that could not have existed twenty years ago, and the very thing that make these companies so transformative in the United States ensures they will never succeed in Japan. You see...
- [How Japan's evocative machines are quietly creating new startup unicorns](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-evocative-machines-are-creating-japan-next-four-unicorns/) - This is a rather personal episode. We have no guests this time. It’s just you and me. Today, rather than diving deep into a specific aspect of startups in Japan, we are going to take a hard look at both what is and what is not working within the Japanese startup ecosystem as a whole. And
- [The new era of Evocative Machines. Why you're going to love it.](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-new-era-of-evocative-machines-why-youre-going-to-love-it/) - We speculate a lot about our future "robot servants" or "robot masters", but that whole metaphor is wrong. It's not going to happen that way. This is a very personal and rather speculative episode. No guests this time. It's just the two of us. In past episodes, you have already met some of the founders
- [Four Signs Your Startup is Secretly a Relationship Company](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/four-signs-startup-secretly-relationship-company/) - Startups in Japan have a problem. It's the same problem that faces startup founders around the world, but the misunderstanding is so strong here that it causes a lot of companies to go out of business just as they should be starting to scale. Too many startups fail to understand the difference between relationship-based companies
- [Why its hard for startups to use technology for good](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-its-hard-for-startups-to-use-technology-for-good/) - New technology is always introduced with the promise of the good it can do for humanity. Most of the time the promised good never come to be. This is largely a structural problem ib how startups are funded, and some founders are creating a better way. Today we talk with Yosuke Kaneko, founder of Sora
- [Corporate venturing as a path to innovation in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/corporate-venturing-as-a-path-to-innovation-in-japan/) - You might think that large Japanese companies have trouble innovating. Unfortunately if you believe that, you would be correct. Recently, however, there are a few reasons for hope. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, and Japan Inc. now largely understands that their traditional R&D methods are broken, and are looking
- [How to sell vegan foods to meat lovers](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-sell-vegan-foods-to-meat-lovers/) - It's tough to be a vegetarian in a world full of carnivores. It's even tougher to be a startup selling a vegan egg-substitute into a world full of carnivore-dominated market, but that's exactly what Umami United is doing. Umami United founder Hiro Yamazaki explains that the real diver for vegan-food adoption is not ethics or
- [How to start an AI Startup in early 2026](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-start-an-ai-startup-in-late-2025/) - Last month I gave lecture at Globis University on what it takes to build an AI startup today. It's no longer early days for AI, and most founders don't have the connections and resources that drive toady's multi-billion dollar seed rounds. However, as I detail, they still have several paths to success. After the lecture
- [The Very Best Podcasts about Japan in 2026](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-best-podcasts-about-japan/) - Podcasting has taken off in Japan. Quality varies, of course, so I put together a list of the very best podcasts being made about Japan today. I do my best to keep it up-to-date. All of the podcasts listed below publish regularly, have solid production values, are genuinely interesting, and have something worthwhile to say
- [Why I turned down $500K, Pissed off my investors, and Shut down my startup](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/turned-500k-pissed-off-investors-shut-startup/) - I just did what no startup founder is ever supposed to do. I gave up. It wasn’t even one of those glorious “fail fast and fail forward” learning experiences. After seven months of hard work and two weeks before we were to start ...
- [What everyone gets wrong about branding in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-everyone-gets-wrong-about-branding-in-japan/) - Japan market entry is hard. Consumer tastes are different, business culture is different, and market needs can be radically different from those anywhere else. Entering the Japanese market is a challenge for even the strongest and best positioned brands. Today we sit down with Ernie Higa, the man behind two incredibly successful market entries, Dominoes
- [What role can startups really play in human longevity?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-role-can-startups-really-play-in-human-longevity/) - Japan has one of the longest lived and healthiest populations in the world, and let Japanese startups are playing a relatively small role in the recent longevity-tech boom. The longevity market includes everything from health-tech wearables, to foods and supplements, to lifestyle coaching, to invasive medical procedures. The offerings themselves range from the incredibly useful
- [Will Japan ever regain its lead in robotics?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/will-japan-ever-regain-its-lead-in-robotics/) - In the popular imagination, Japan is almost synonymous with robots. While Japan once dominated cutting-edge robotics, over the past decade she has fallen further and further behind the US and China. Today we sit down with Chiamin Lai of Firstlight Capital, who believes that Japan might just regain that leadership. We talk about the unique
- [Why so many Japanese VCs won’t invest in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-so-many-japanese-vcs-wont-invest-in-japan/) - Japanese startups is hot right now, and more and more foreign money is flowing in. But many Japanese VCs remain stubbornly outward-looking. Today we sit down with Shri Dodani, who after a series of highly successful American startups, decided that Japan is the best place to invest right now, and co-founded of Global Hands-On VC,
- [Can startups save Japan's logistics industry?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/two-critical-things-startups-need-when-selling-to-industrial-customers/) - According to Taro, Japan's logistics industry is on the brink of collapse, and it's hard to argue that he's wrong. Taro Sasaki founded Hacobu with the goal of modernizing Japan's logistics industry. He found few takers for the first few years, and then a new law changed everything. We talk about how Japan's demographic and
- [This startup built the first open-source driverless car](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/this-startup-is-building-the-first-open-source-driverless-car/) - The automotive industry is closed and proprietary. But Shinpei Kato, founder and CTO of Tier IV, thinks they are going to be forced to change. Teir IV has brought together a global community of programmers and corporate partners to create the Autoware project. Tier IV's goal to develop a completely open-source software platform to drive
- [Why startups should be better than charities at solving social problems](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-startups-should-be-better-at-solving-social-problems-than-charities/) - Startups exist to develop new solutions to problems. But many of society's biggest problems fall outside traditional startup business models. Today we explore why that is, and how it might be changed as we sit down with Robin Lewis, co-founder of Mymizu, a startup focused on reducing plastic waste by encouraging reuse. We take a
- [What you can learn from Japan's seven-minute miracle](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-you-can-learn-from-japans-seven-minute-miracle/) - Today we are going to look at a different kind of innovation. It's not technology. It's not patentable, and I'm not sure it's scalable. But it is important. It turns out that the story behind a Japanese viral video can teach us a lot about the future of work. It's an example of Japanese innovation
- [Why people are afraid to trust AI.   And how to fix it](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-people-are-afraid-to-trust-ai-and-how-to-fix-it/) - Artificial Intelligence makes a lot of people nervous. That's understandable. Today we sit down with Ken Fujiwara of Hacarus to discuss why that is, and what this startup is doing to fix it. As in so many other fields, when comparing AI in Japan and the West, we find that the technology is fundamentally the
- [So, your startup wants to play in Japan's Regulatory Sandbox?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/so-your-startup-wants-to-play-in-japans-regulatory-sandbox/) - Disruption comes slowly to medicine. And that's a good thing. Since the ethos of the profession is "First, do no harm", it makes sense that safety and efficacy are prioritized over rapid innovation. But innovation does happen, and the Japanese government is working to make sure it happens faster. Today we sit down with Taro
- [Instagram for skin disease?  Wait, this could work!](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/instagram-for-skin-disease-wait-this-could-work/) - A lot of great ideas seem crazy when you first hear about them. Today Ryotaro Ako, founder of Atopiyo, explains not only why this is a great idea that is deeply valued by his users, but he also frankly talked about the difficulties in bringing it to market. We talk about the challenges of forming
- [What you can learn from this "PoopTech" startup ](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-you-can-learn-from-this-pooptech-startup/) - The bacteria in our gut affect our lives and our health in ways we are just starting to fully realize, and mapping this biome is expected to advance medical science and pharmacology as mapping the human genome. However, our gut biota is not a mappable sequence, but a complex ecosystem, and one that may be
- [One way that AI is transforming family farms](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/one-way-that-ai-is-transforming-family-farms/) - Some of Japan's innovations are going to have a much bigger impact outside of Japan. Like most startups, most AgTech startups sensibly tend to focus on their own markets. While this makes things easier at first, it tends to overlook the huge challenges -- and potentially huge profits -- that exist in the developing world.
- [Why the robot uprising will give us Robot Pets, not Robot Masters](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-the-robot-uprising-will-give-us-robot-pets-not-robot-masters/) - Japan has a very different approach to robotics. Japan leads the world in industrial robots, but there is also a growing movement that is reinventing the way we share our world with machines. Kaname Hayashi was one of the creators of Softbank's Pepper robot. His latest startup, GrooveX, has raised over $100 million to develop
- [Japanese technology to supercharge human fertility](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japanese-technology-to-supercharge-human-fertility/) - Japan's declining birth rate makes global headlines, but most of the developed world will soon be facing the same problem. The real solution involves a lot of social and economic changes, but as you'll see, technology has a huge role to play as well. Today we sit down and talk with Kaz Kishida, CEO of
- [The Future of Disrupting Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-future-of-disrupting-japan/) - Disrupting Japan turns seven years old this week! Unfortunately, because of current conditions in Japan, we won't be able to sit down over a beer and talk about startups live as we usually do. Today, I'd like to share a story in three acts. We'll talk about the podcasting industry, what Disrupting Japan really is,
- [This disruptive tech started with a dance move](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/this-disruptive-tech-started-with-a-dance-move/) - It's hard to get paid to do what you love. Perhaps no one understands this better than dancers, but Taku Kodaira and his team at Mikro Entertainment are on a mission to fix that. But this conversation, and Mikro Entertainment itself, is about much more than dance. Mikro's marketplace for dance moves is just the
- [DJ Selects: How Government Money is Hurting Japanese Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/selects-how-government-money-is-hurting-japanese-startups/) - Japanese university and government venture funds play a much larger role in Japan than in the West. I've always considered this difference to be, on balance, neutral, today's guest makes a convincing case that these funds are actually hurting the startup ecosystem here. Today we sit down and talk with Hiroaki Suga, co-founder of PeptiDream.
- [But what if your data is too big for the Cloud?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/but-what-if-your-data-is-too-big-for-the-cloud/) - Cloud visionaries promised us unlimited scalability, but they greatly underestimated the amount of data we would start producing. Today we sit down with Michael Tso, the co-founder of Cloudian, and he explains why some systems are just too big for the cloud, and how the industry is adapting. Mike also shares his advice for selling
- [Passion alone can't make cars fly](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/passion-alone-cant-make-cars-fly/) - We have been dreaming about flying cars (and startups have been promising them!) for over 70 years, and it looks like we might almost be there. Orders have been placed, and delivery schedules set. Today we sit down with Tom Fukuzawa of SkyDrive, and we talk about the development of their flying car and their
- [What three-card monte can teach you about NFTs](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-three-card-monte-can-teach-you-about-nfts/) - NFTs are easy to understand if you examine their core utility. Unfortunately, there are thousands of NFT promoters spending millions of dollars to make sure you never look at that. This episode is a departure from our standard format, but it's an important topic. I want to explain what NFTs actually are and how you
- [Can Japan's "Anti-Uber" disrupt global airport transport?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/can-japans-anti-uber-disrupt-global-airport-transport/) - Once the disruptors become the incumbents they are ripe for disruption. Uber, Grab and rest of the ride-sharing startups have clearly disrupted the global taxi industry, but that doesn't mean they got it right. That doesn't mean their market position, or even their business model, is secure. Today we sit down with Sota Kimura, founder
- [How do you know if your startup idea is bad?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-do-you-know-if-your-startup-idea-is-bad/) - Coming up with ideas is easy. Spotting the bad one early is a rare skill. Today we talk with Yo Shibata serial entrepreneur an investor about how you know if you really have a great startup idea. We chat about what it was like being acquired by Rakuten, and what can be done to improve
- [How Snack Smuggling led to millions in VC funding](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-snack-smuggling-led-to-millions-in-vc-funding/) - Subscription boxes can be a tough business. Most of these startups shine brightly as they burn through investor capital and flame out well before becoming profitable. But there are exceptions. So today we sit down with Danny Taing, the founder of Bokksu, to learn what he and the team did differently, how they obtained substantial
- [The secret edge of Japan's best SaaS startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-secret-edge-of-japans-best-saas-startups/) - There is a very good reason B2B SaaS is huge in Japan right now. Today we sit down with Chiemi Kamakura, co-founder and CEO of Agatha, and she explains why. Agatha is a Japanese SaaS company that has been global from Day 1, but is leveraging some unique strengths developed in Japan. We talk about
- [Will Japan's Manga industry ever really change?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/will-japans-manga-industry-ever-really-change/) - Manga is one of Japan's best known exports, but it's surprisingly hard to make money here. Today we dig into exactly why this is. We sit down with Sho Ishiwatari, founder of Mantra, who explains how is company is trying to expand the global market by streamlining the translation and global marketing processes. We also
- [The dangerous defect in most  SaaS startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-dangerous-defect-in-most-saas-startups/) - You never hear the names of some of the world's best SaaS startups. Why waste money building awareness among consumers when you can quickly and steadily grow your B2B business across Japan then across Asia? Today Yu Taniguchi founder of TableCheck returns to the show and answers that question. TableCheck is rapidly expanding their table-management
- [The $290 billion e-commerce trend you've never heard of](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-290-billion-e-commerce-trend-youve-never-heard-of/) - World-changing trends can start anywhere in the world today. Because the social media platforms evolved differently in Northeast Asia, e-commerce developed differently as well. And because of recent shifts in regulation and social attitudes, Western social media is going to start to look a lot more like it does in Aisa, and e-commerce trends will
- [The surprising things AI wants to know about your health](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-surprising-things-ai-wants-to-know-about-your-health/) - We need to get the health care revolution right. Artificial Intelligence promises to reduce bottlenecks, improve quality of care, and allow our over-stretched healthcare systems to scale to meet the needs of the aging global population. But it's not going to be easy. Today we talk with Kota Kubo, founder of Ubie about the opportunities
- [The secret of humble food from expensive tech](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-secret-of-getting-cheap-veggies-from-expensive-technology/) - The way we get our food is changing. Many are discussing how to make modern farming more sustainable, but this startup working to end it entirely. Ikuo Hiraishi is a serial entrepreneur and the Japan head of Infarm Japan, an urban-farming startup growing food at supermarkets. In fact, as Ikuo explains, a lot more of
- [Why medical AI is taking off in SE Asia](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-medical-ai-is-taking-off-in-se-asia/) - Today's episode is about trust; trust in technology and trust in each other. Very few startups experience what LPixel went through and far fewer survive it. Today we welcome Yuki Shimahara, founder of LPixel, back to the show. The last few years have been a roller-coster for LPixel, and despite the chaos LPixel managed to
- [How the police use proven AI to predict future crime](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-the-police-use-proven-ai-to-predict-future-crime/) - Police departments around the world are using this startup's AI to predict future crime. Mami Kajita, founder of Singular Perturbations, explains the success of their models, the public reaction to the technology, and how the physics models of glass transition lead to a crime prediction AI. We debate the future impact of crime prediction technology,
- [The forgotten mistake that killed Japan's software industry](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-forgotten-mistake-that-killed-japans-software-industry/) - This is our 200th episode, so I wanted to do something special. Everyone loves to complain about the poor quality of Japanese software, but today I’m going to explain exactly what went wrong. You'll get the whole story, and I'll also pinpoint the specific moment Japan lost its way. By the end, I think you'll
- [One way to unlock Japan's broken e-commerce](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/one-way-to-unlock-japans-broken-e-commerce/) - Sometimes it seems like Japan is almost invisible in global e-commerce. Despite a dynamic domestic e-commerce market and a long tradition of global exports, Japan just doesn't seem that interested in selling to the outside world. But things are changing, and Kazuyoshi Nakazato of Zig Zag is working to make sure they change even faster.
- [The lies, myths, and secrets of Japanese UI design](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-lies-myths-and-secrets-of-japanese-ui-design/) - There is a lot of hate directed at Japanese UI design. To Western eyes, it's just too busy, too dense, too confusing, too outdated, and just plain wrong. And sometimes that's true, but usually there are very good, and highly profitable, reasons Japanese websites and Japanese software looks the way it does. Today I sit
- [What it really takes to get your product approved by NASA](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-it-really-takes-to-get-your-product-approved-by-nasa/) - Not many startups land their tech on the moon. Dymon has designed an autonomous lunar rover that will land near the lunar south pole later this year as part of NASA's Artemis program. Today, we sit down and talk with founder Shin Nakajima who explains what it takes for a startup to become part of
- [How Japanese graffiti Is sneaking onto the blockchain](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-japanese-graffiti-is-sneaking-onto-the-blockchain/) - Graffiti is impermanent. Normally, thats a good thing, but as the global art world has begun to recognize graffiti and street art as a legitimate art form, the short-term and public nature of street art has presented challenges around sales and ownership. The team at Totomo has found a solution. They have been working with
- [What happened when one Japanese startup talked about women's sexual health](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-happened-when-one-japanese-startup-talked-about-womens-sexual-pleasure/) - Some things are supposed to be only whispered about in Japan. But startups are about breaking taboos and pushing boundaries, and making the world a bit better when they do it. Today's we sit down with Amina Sugimoto of Fermata, and we talk about how quickly and radically the FemTech movement is changing Japan's conversations,
- [How one innovative startup is selling true bionic legs](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-one-innovative-startup-is-selling-true-bionic-legs/) - Startups solve real problems. During the boom times, the media focuses on the multi-billion-dollar valuations and the mega-IPOs. But even in those times, founders are innovating in the background and using technology to just make the world a better place. Today we talk with Sun Xiaojun, who started BionicM in 2015 as a way to replace the limb that he lost when he was a child. And since then, he has built the startup into much more. We talk about the challenges he had to overcome to bring innovative medical technology to market, why Japanese universities still struggle to productize their impressive deep-tech, and why the world has been thinking about prosthetic limbs all wrong for thousands of years. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [Legal AI will shatter your perspective on legal advice](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/legal-ai-will-shatter-your-perspective-on-legal-advice/) - Of all the industries that are going to be impacted by artificial intelligence, the legal profession is going to be one of the most profoundly transformed. And today we sit down and talk with Nozo Tsunoda, a licensed attorney and the founder of LegalOn a rapidly growing startup using AI to review and manage contracts. And while their initial clients have been mostly corporate legal departments, Nozo explains how AI is beginning to force changes to the behavior of even traditional legal firms. Now if you're in the US you might not have heard of LegalOn yet, but you'll be hearing a lot about them soon. Nozo and the team recently raised over a hundred million in large part to fuel their recent US market entry. Nozo and I talk about the challenges of selling increased efficiency to lawyers who bill by the hour LegalOn’s US expansion plans, and how AI is going to change the entire legal industry.
- [So you want to disrupt finance? This is what it's going to take](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/so-you-want-to-disrupt-finance-this-is-what-its-going-to-take/) - For decades (centuries, really) lending in Japan has relied on personal guarantors and introductions rather than objective credit scoring. This startup is changing that. Before starting Credit Engine, which provides credit scoring, automated approvals, and other services to mega-banks and other financial institutions, Sei Uchiyama founded an online lending startup to ensure he understand this market
- [The innovative age of Shadow IT is coming to an end](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-innovative-age-of-shadow-it-is-coming-to-an-end/) - Shadow IT has been responsible for more enterprise SaaS deployments and workflow innovation than any growth strategy we've seen in the last 15 years. And that 's all about to end. Today we sit down with Yasu Matsumoto, who stepped down as CEO of Raksul after leading them from founding to post-IPO success, to start Josys, a new startup helping enterprises put an end to shadow IT once and for all. Yasu explains why that the end of shadow IT is actually a good thing for everyone, why he decided to step down from his high-profile CEO role, and the future of SaaS sales and marketing. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [What it takes to teach Japan Inc how to code](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-it-takes-to-teach-japan-inc-how-to-code/) - Japan wants to learn how to code. Over the past 15 years software development in Japan has changed from low-level clerical work to a mission-critical skill, and the Japanese government and industry as scrambling to find programmers and develop new talent. Yan Fan came to Japan on a mission to teach everyone how to code.
- [AI's new game-changing role in decoding mountains of EKGs](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/ais-new-game-changing-role-in-decoding-mountains-of-ekgs/) - The medical industry is one of the most challenging areas for startups to succeed in. "Move fast and break things" just doesn't work in medicine. So you might be surprised to learn that right now there are quite a few innovative medical startups coming out of Japan. Today we talk with Yuichi Tamura, founder of
- [What you need to know to sell to schools in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-you-need-to-know-to-sell-to-schools-in-japan/) - Almost everyone agrees that the Japanese education system needs to be modernized, but EdTech startups face an uphill battle in Japan. Of course, academia and governments are not known for being particularly innovative or forward-thinking, and that's why Kohei Kuboyama left a fast-track career at Japan's Ministry of Finance to launch and EdTech startup. Kohei lays out his blueprint for getting new technology and new products adopted in Japan's schools, explains the challenges of leaving government service to start a startup, and talks about a few positive long-term trends he sees in Japan's eduction system. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [One soil startup’s unusual and risky scaling secret](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/one-soil-startups-unusual-and-risky-scaling-secret/) - Most sustainability startups struggle to find sustainable business models Towing, however, has found their solution, and their customers are seeing 20% to 70% increases crop yields. Today we sit down with Towing co-founder Teppei Okamura and he explains why even such a drastic yield improvement required an innovative production and distribution model to achieve scale. We also talk about the advantages (and the challenges) of working with university research teams, how environment policy and carbon credits affect innovation in sustainable agriculture, and Towing's joint research project with JAXA, Japan's space agency, on developing farming in space. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [What today's headlines don't tell you about Fusion Energy](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-todays-headlines-dont-tell-you-about-fusion-energy/) - Fusion energy promises almost unlimited, inexpensive, clean energy. That's a pretty big promise. Today we sit down with Satoshi Konishi, co-founder and CEO of Kyoto Fusioneering, and we talk about what it is really going to take to develop commercially viable fusion power and the role that startups have to play in that process. We talk about the emerging public-private research partnerships, who is pulling ahead in the fusion race, and we dig into the long history and near future of fusion energy It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [Startups need to think global, but you need to beware of being global](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/startups-need-to-think-global-but-you-need-to-beware-of-being-global/) - Japanese HR departments are in a bit of a panic right now. The increasing job mobility that startups have unleashed is forcing them to rethink their entire mission. Today we sit down and Takako Ogawa, co-founder and CEO of Panalyt, a startup at the center of this transformation, and we talk about the changing career paths in Japan, when startups need to change CEOs, and the dangers of going global that people don't seem to talk about. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [How to sell innovation in cut-throat, low-margin industries](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-sell-innovation-in-cut-throat-low-margin-industries/) - Some industries need to be dragged kicking and screaming to innovation. When margins are tight and profits are small, CEOs often don't want to spend a dime on the promise of increased efficiencies or long-term savings, and so external leverage is needed. Today we talk with Shinya Shimizu, founder and CEO of Elephantech, who explains how he found that leverage in his mission to make the global technology supply chain more environmentally friendly. We explore how Elephantech and other startups are helping the world meet net-zero targets, strategies for scaling manufacturing startups, and how you can make money while doing good in the world. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [Big News from Disrupting Japan!](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/big-news-from-disrupting-japan/) - There is important news for Disrupting Japan this week. It's a very short episode because I just want to let you know what's coming, and to thank you for all your support over the years. Leave a comment Transcript Welcome to Disrupting Japan Straight talk from Japan’s most innovative startups and VCs. I’m Tim Romero,
- [How VCs drive (and murder) global startup ambition in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-vcs-drive-and-murder-global-startup-ambition-in-japan/) - So what keeps Japanese startups stuck in Japan? It's not a lack of opportunity or ambition. It's not a lack of knowledge or talent. In fact, one of Japan's most experienced venture capitalists thinks that the VCs themselves that are the problem. Today we sit down with Ken Yasunaga, founder and Managing Partner of Global Hands On VC, a fund focused on finding and supporting the Japanese startups with the highest potential to succeed in the global market. Before founding GHOVC, Ken was managing director at INCJ (Japan's public/private $21B venture fund) as well holding multiple leadership positions in the Japan Venture Capital Association. We talk about the unique opportunities for investment in Japan, the trap of going public here, how some VCs are holding startups back, and why this might be a turning point for Japan's new global startups. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [The surprising future of Japan's new robot companions](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-surprising-future-of-japans-new-ai-companions/) - Japan thinks about robotics and AI differently that the West. In addition to the functional, productive role that robots play, a lot of thought is also given to our interactions and the relationship we build with them. Today we sit down with Shunsuke Aoki, founder of Yukai Engineering and one of the most innovative and creative thinkers on the emotional connection between humans and machines. We talk about the future of robot companionship, how AI will change the definition of culture, and why future of Japanese robotics will have a lot more participation by foreigners. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [The hidden danger of unicorn counting in Japan<br>James Riney - Coral Capital](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-hidden-danger-of-unicorn-counting-in-japan/) - Japan has far fewer unicorns than one might expect - or than venture capitalists desire. That fact, however, hides a fascinating story. Today James Riney, founding partner of Coral Capital explains the danger of unicorn counting. We dive deep into which startup sectors Japan is likely to lead in globally in the coming decade, how to identify unique startup value in Japan. We also talk about how Japan has become more like Silicon Valley in the past ten years and why they are about to become very different. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [How to build a startup in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-build-a-startup-in-japan/) - If you have ever wondered what it really takes to start and grow a startup as a foreigner in Japan. Well, I have a treat for you today. Earlier this year, at the Japan FinTech Festival, I had the privilege of sitting down with four fantastic foreign FinTech founders and talking about what you need to succeed in Japan. There are some great insights here from Jeff Wentworth of Curvegrid, Paul Chapman of Moneytree, Sam Pemberton-Ahmed of SmartPay, and Samantha Ghiotti of Habitto. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [Why SaaS is growing so much faster in Japan <br> Shinji Asada - One Capital](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-saas-is-growing-so-much-faster-in-japan/) - SaaS startup valuations and growth rates have dropped sharply in most of the world, but not in Japan. SaaS startups are growing fast in Japan, and that trend is set to accelerate even more over the next five years. Today Shinji Asada of One Capital explains Japan's still-untapped SaaS potential, his unique SMB and product-focused
- [Everything you ever wanted to know about Fintech in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-fintech-in-japan/) - We live in a global financial system, but fintech innovation is surprisingly local. Makoto Shibata, the head of FinoLab, has been leading financial innovation Japan for over 20 years, long before the term fintech existed. We talk about the evolution of Japan's fintech landscape, and which fintech sectors are facing consolidation and which are facing
- [Inside the government program to invest $1B into Japanese startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/inside-the-government-program-to-invest-1b-into-japanese-startups/) - The Japanese government is taking a very hands-on approach to funding startups. Yuka Hata, Senior Managing Director of the Japan Investment Corporation (JIC) explains the kinds of startups and funds they invest in, and why. We also talk about the two biggest challenges new Japanese VCs face, and what it’s really like for women in VC in Japan It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [A game plan for working artists to beat AI in the marketplace](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/an-ironclad-way-musicians-and-artists-can-defeat-ai/) - Today, I’m going to give creatives a solid three-point plan to beat AI in the marketplace. I’m going to explain how musicians, podcasters, authors and other artists can survive and even thrive amidst the unstoppable flood of AI
- [Why Japan is looking to France for startup inspiration](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-japan-looks-to-france-for-startup-inspiration/) - While the rest of the world is copying Silicon Valley, Tokyo is looking at Paris. Today we sit down with Mark Bivens and Matt Romaine, the co-founders of Shizen Capital to talk about Japan's new startup policies, the changing role of M&A, the main force behind the changing attitudes about startups in Japan. It's a
- [How AI startups can compete with the AI giants](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-ai-startups-can-compete-with-the-ai-giants/) - Japan is lagging behind in AI, but that might not be the case for long. Today we sit down with Jad Tarifi, current founder of Integral AI and previously, founder of Google’s first Generative AI team, and we talk about some of Japan's potential advantages in AI, the most likely path to AGI, and how small AI startups can compete against the over-funded AI giants. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [How CVCs and startups are decarbonizing energy](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-cvcs-and-startups-are-decarbonizing-energy/) - Most outside of the energy industry are (pleasantly) surprised to learn how aggressively startups and CVCs are pushing decarbonization forward. Decarbonization is a fascinating and incredibly important issue, so please join me on this short but special episode. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it.
- [The catalyst (finally!) pulling industrial Japan into the digital age](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-catalyst-finally-pulling-industrial-japan-into-the-digital-age/) - Japanese business loves paper. From fax machines, to business cards, to massive project binders. Paper processes are slow to die in Japan, especially in industrial facilities. Today we talk with Jumpei Yoshida of Kaminashi who explains why that's finally changing and how foreign workers are driving the transformation. It's a great conversation, and I think
- [Software alone can’t make us work together](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/software-alone-cant-make-us-work-together/) - Today we are going to break down some startup stereotypes. I sit down with Kunio Hara, co-founder and CEO of Beatrust and break apart the stereotypes of the uncreative Japanese enterprise and the young startup founder, and Kunio explains how Beatrust is already teaching old dogs new tricks. It's a great conversation, and I think
- [How to build a successful startup community](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-build-a-successful-startup-community/) - (sketch by Kaori Rei)Today we are going to sit down with an old friend. It was over seven years ago when I first had Tim Rowe on the podcast, and we mapped out what we saw as the future of startup innovation in Japan. In today's short episode, we talk about what we got right.
- [Senpai culture is killing innovation in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/sempai-culture-is-killing-innovation-in-japan/) - Fifteen years ago, University-run venture funds were all but illegal here in Japan, but today a higher percentage of major Japanese universities have VC funds than in the US or Europe. Today we sit down with Kei Furukawa, a partner at the University of Tokyo IPC, a $300M venture fund, and we talk about the
- [Startup success hinges on enterprise innovation](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/startup-success-hinges-on-enterprise-innovation/) - American startups dominate the current innovation cycle not as a result of startup innovation, but of enterprise innovation. Today we sit down with Dai Watanabe and dive into the dynamics of industry disruption and startup innovation. For the last 25 years Dai has held leadership roles at the center of Japan's major innovation trends. From
- [What it’s really like to be a female VC in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-its-really-like-to-be-a-female-vc-in-japan/) - Progress is not only slower in Japan, it is often different. Looking at the numbers, it's clear that venture capital is even more male-dominated in Japan than it is in the West. Our guest today explains not only how that's changing, but how she's changing it. Sophie Meralli is a Partner at Shizen Capital and
- [Foreign founders are changing how Japanese start startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/foreign-founders-are-changing-how-japanese-start-startups/) - For the last 150 years Japan has made a science of borrowing the best ideas from the West and transforming them into her own. The startup world is no exception. Japanese startup culture is heavily shaped by western ideas, but not in the traditional top down way where leadership chooses which ideas are introduced. Japan's
- [What's next for climate tech startups & innovation](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/whats-next-for_climate-tech-startups/) - Last month I spoke on a panel about the future of climate tech. I was joined by Emi Naganuma, the founder and General Partner of Apprecia Capital and Richard Youngman, the CEO Cleantech Group, with Michael Matsumura of Scrum Ventures moderating. Right now is both a challenging and an exciting time for climate tech innovatoin.
- [How AI employees are solving Japan’s labor shortage](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/one-japanese-companys-deployment-of-ai-employees/) - While American AI startups are dominating the headlines, one Japanese company has begun rolling out "AI employees" to famously cautious Japanese enterprise customers. Today we talk with Shota Nakagawa the CEO of Caster and discuss their model of human-AI collaboration, why Japan is positioned to lead real-world AI deployment, and the big steps needed for
- [Welcome to Disrupting Japan (Podcast Trailer)](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/podcast_trailer/) - Welcome to Disrupting Japan. Straight talk from Japan’s most innovative founders and VCs. I’m Tim Romero, and thanks for joining me. There is so much happening in Japan right now. Startups and innovation are beginning to reshape Japan with the same dynamism we saw during the post-war boom or the Meji-era re-opening. And I’ve been
- [Hey Hey, It's my birthday!](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/hey-hey-its-my-birthday/) - Disrupting Japan is 10 years old today! This is a simple thank you rather than a full episode. Thanks for listening! Transcript Welcome to Disrupting Japan, Straight Talk from Japan's most innovative founders and VCs. I'm Tim Romero and thanks for joining me. This is a very short and very special episode. It's not
- [A Japanese MBA Does Not Mean What You Think It Means](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/a-japanese-mba-does-not-mean-what-you-think-it-means/) - Education is very hard to disrupt. That’s both good and bad. Education is so important to both individuals and society, it should not be changed on a whim, but over time it seems that our institutions of higher education have drifted away from meeting students real needs. Yoshito Hori, founder and CEO of Globis, is making
- [The Ultimate Guide to Raising Money in Japan [Updated]](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-raising-money-in-japan/) - There has never been a better time to be raising money in Japan than right now. Founders ask me about fundraising more than any other topic, so this guide is long overdue. There are links that cover the basics in the Show Notes, and I will be keeping this page updated as new information becomes
- [Why public humiliation is the secret to success](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-public-humiliation-is-the-secret-to-success/) - I've never managed to find a direct road to success. My bio reads like a random walk down many different career paths, so I always feel unqualified to answer when people ask me for career advice. Today, however, I'd like to share one insight about doing business in Japan that I learned the hard way.
- [How Government Money is Hurting Japanese Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-government-money-is-hurting-japanese-startups/) - Japanese university and government venture funds play a much larger role in Japan than in the West. I've always considered this difference to be, on balance, neutral, today's guest makes a convincing case that these funds are actually hurting the startup ecosystem here. Today we sit down and talk with Hiroaki Suga, co-founder of PeptiDream.
- [How to Sell Without Salesmen in Japan - Daisuke Sasaki](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-sell-without-salesmen-in-japan-daisuke-sasaki/) - Corporate accounting is not usually the first thing the comes to mind when you think of disruptive technology, and for the most part, that’s a good thing. Daisuke Sasaki of Freee, however, is changing the way accounting is done in Japan from the bottom up. Bringing change to a conservative industry, however, is not easy. The fact is ...
- [DJ Selects: Japan’s Airbnb for Satellites - InfoStellar](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/dj-selects-japans-airbnb-for-satellites-infostellar/) - The aerospace industry has been particularly resistant to disrupting in Japan. In the rest of the world, launch vehicle and spacecraft technology has made incredible gains over the past decade, but here in Japan its still mostly the same government contracts going to the same major contractors. Naomi Kurahara of InfoStellar, has come up with
- [Japan’s Airbnb for Satellites - InfoStellar](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japans-airbnb-satellites-infostellar/) - The aerospace industry has been particularly resistant to disrupting in Japan. In the rest of the world, launch vehicle and spacecraft technology has made incredible gains over the past decade, but here in Japan its still mostly the same government contracts going to the same major contractors. Naomi Kurahara of InfoStellar, has come up with
- [Why Your Freemium Strategy Might be Hurting Your Sales](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/freemium-strategy-might-hurting-startupss-sales/) - Having a free product tier is a time-proven way for startups to get a foot in the door by giving potential customers a low-risk way of evaluating your product. However, there are times when it's easier and much more profitable to simply make the sale. Yu Taniguchi s CEO of Vesper and creator of TableSolution.TableSolution
- [Taking Control Back from the Distributors - Allen Miner - Oracle](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/taking-control-back-distributors-allen-miner-oracle/) - Today is the first episode off our new expanded format. From today, we’ll be covering both disruptive Japanese startups and detailed market entry case studies of global companies that are disrupting Japan from the outside. Oracle first came into Japan more than 25 years ago, but the challenges they faced and overcame then are exactly the
- [The Dark Side of Japanese Crowdfunding - Ryota Matsuzaki](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-dark-side-of-japanese-crowdfunding/) - Crowdfunding is at a crossroads. The inherent conflict of interest in the business model is forcing US firms to either limit their growth or become the online equivalent of late-night infomercials. In Japan, however, crowdfunding has grown more ...
- [Why I Turned Down $500k, Shut Down My Startup, And Joined the Enterprise](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/shut-startup-joined-enterprise/) - Welcome to our 100th show. If you are new, welcome to Disrupting Japan. If you are a long-time follower, thank you for being part of the community and helping to make Disrupting Japan what it is today. This is a special, and rather short, episode. Today I'm going to tell you a very personal story
- [DJ Selects: The Myth of the Successful Startup Failure](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/dj-selects-the-myth-of-the-successful-startup-failure/) - Startup culture has crazy and contradictory views about failure. As founders we are told to fail fast, but also to never give up. We are told to follow our vision, but be ready to pivot. Somehow this macho-bullshit culture of “I never really fail and ‘m not afraid of failure.” has become dominant amount founders. But it’s the result of denial. Trivializing failure is a way of not thinking about it’s effects. The truth is that failure sucks. Failure is painful. Failure ...
- [You need to Ignore the Worst Advice being given to Female Founders](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/you-need-to-ignore-the-worst-advice-being-given-to-female-founders/) - Everything about employment in Japan is changing. Lifetime employment is gone. Skilled workers are discovering that they have job mobility and large Japanese companies are increasingly confused by the fact that many new graduates don't want to work for them. Wantedly has been one of the companies that has changed the way corporate recruiting works in
- [What This 330-Year-Old Company is Learning from Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-this-330-year-old-firm-is-learning-from-startups/) - The conventional wisdom is that traditional Japanese companies can't innovate. And traditionally, that's been true. Hosoo, however, might be carrying on a 1200-year-old tradition, but they are hardly a conventional company. Today we talk with Masataka Hosoo, who is the 12th-generation leader of Hosoo, one of Japan's most famous kimono silk makers. And while the company used
- [DJ Selects: What You Need to Know To Sell Services (and Saas) in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-you-need-to-know-to-sell-saas-in-japan/) - Selling services in Japan is very different than selling products or software. Everyone knows that relationships are important in Japan, but not many people understand why they are so important, and how you can use that understanding to build a successful business here. Today Sriram Venkataraman explains how he grew InfoSys Japan from a one
- [How I Made $8,000 per Month Podcasting, and Why You Probably Don't Want To](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-i-made-8000-per-month-podcasting-and-why-you-probably-dont-want-to/) - This is a rather personal episode. We have no guests this time. It’s just you and me. New listeners might not know that for about one year, Disrupting Japan was sponsored and was my primary source of income. So today, rather than diving deep into a specific aspect of startups in Japan, I thought I
- [DJ Selects: A Japanese MBA Does Not Mean What You Think It Means](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/selects-a-japanese-mba-does-not-mean-what-you-think-it-means/) - Education is very hard to disrupt. That’s both good and bad. Education is so important to both individuals and society, it should not be changed on a whim, but over time it seems that our institutions of higher education have drifted away from meeting students real needs. Yoshito Hori, founder and CEO of Globis, is making
- [DJ Selects: IoT, Japan, and the Uncertain Future of Poop](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/selects-iot-japan-and-the-uncertain-future-of-poop/) - Startup founders claiming their company is going to “change the world” has become a cliche. But rarely do we see a product that could clearly and significantly make someone’s life better. D-Free is one of those products. However...
- [The Japanese Trap of the Glorious Failure](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-japanese-trap-of-the-glorious-failure/) - Japanese businessmen famously fear failure. But that understanding is horribly incomplete. In fact, there is one type of failure that is admired, almost sought after, in Japan. Today we take a look at the trap of the Japanese glorious failure, see how it's hurting startups, and examine our options on fixing it. Show Notes Life
- [DJ Selects: Why Your Startup Accelerator is Going to Disappear](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/select-why-your-startup-accelerator-is-going-to-die/) - Almost all startup accelerators are going bankrupt and going away. Hiro Maeda, the founder of two of Japan's most successful, and most different startup incubators explains both the brief past and precarious future of startup incubators and accelerators. We talk not only about the mechanics and challenges of what it takes to make an incubator successful,
- [Japan leads the world in this one important branch of AI](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-leads-the-world-in-this-one-important-brach-of-ai/) - Technology develops differently in Japan. While US tech giants have been grabbing artificial intelligence headlines, a business AI sector has been quietly maturing in Japan, and it is now making inroads into America. Today we sit down again with Miku Hirano, CEO of Cinnamon, and we talk about how exactly this happened. Interestingly, Cinnamon did
- [DJ Selects: Why Men Need Women Founders](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/select-why-men-need-women-founders/) - Ari Horie has always had a different approach to supporting women entrepreneurs. She doesn't talk about "empowering" women and ...
- [The Dream of Flying Cars meets the Truth of Aviation Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-dream-of-flying-cars-meets-the-truth-of-aviation-startups/) - Personal aviation is awesome! Aviation has been a source of inspiration and a symbol of innovation since the Wright brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, to Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, to today's dreams of colonizing Mars. Unfortunately, it's been very hard for startups to make money in aviation. Even the Wright brothers
- [What's really changed after six years of Disrupting Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/whats-really-changed-after-six-years-of-disrupting-japan/) - Disrupting Japan is six years old and ready to party! Unfortunately, we can't. Like so much else in 2020, this year's big, live show has been canceled, but I hope you'll make it next year. It's not all bad news, of course. There are a lot of great things happening for both Disrupting Japan and
- [How this silkworm startup is taking on the pandemic](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-this-silkworm-startup-is-taking-on-the-pandemic/) - Bio-tech is messy because life is complicated. A lot of attention is given to computers sequencing genomes, but some of the most advanced and important work is done by studying and using other living things to make our own lives better. Kenta Yamato co-founded Kaico to commercialize a technique that uses silkworms to manufacture small-batch
- [Reinventing online maps to focus on community](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-travel-to-the-one-place-your-gps-cant-find/) - We have always loved maps. Maps combine artistry and utility in a way that very few disciplines allow. But of course, it's always been a trade-off. The beautiful, ornate maps from centuries past told you where the major landmasses were, but provided little detail. And today's GPS-based maps provide an unprecedented level of accuracy but
- [Will Japan's Geisha Survive the Digital Age? - Disrupting Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/will-geisha-survive-the-digital-age/) - You don’t usually think of Japan’s geisha as being an industry, but it is. In fact, strictly speaking, it’s a cartel. A cartel that is now being disrupted by internet-based booking agencies and low-cost substitutes. It seems that even geisha are not immune to internet-based disintermediation. In this special interview Sayuki, Japan’s only geisha that
- [Selects: Why Japan's Geisha are disappearing in the social media age](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-japan-geisha-are-disaapearing/) - You don’t usually think of Japan’s geisha as being an industry, but it is. In fact, strictly speaking, it’s a cartel. A cartel that is now being disrupted by internet-based booking agencies and low-cost substitutes. It seems that even geisha are not immune to internet-based disintermediation. In this special interview Sayuki, Japan’s only geisha who
- [Your Japanese textbooks are lying to you](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/your-japanese-textbooks-are-lying-to-you/) - They probably mean well. They are telling you something that is easy to understand and that seems like it's true at first, but it's still a lie. I received an overwhelming response to my recent episode on success via public humiliation, and more than a few people tried to set me straight about how Japanese
- [Exporting Japan's Business Card Culture - Chika Terada - Sansan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/show-2-chika-terada-sansan/) - Business cards are far more important in Asia than they are in the West. Business cards command the same level of respect and deference as the person they belong to. Here in Japan, there are many times when a business conversation cannot get underway until all cards have been exchanged and everyone knows exactly ...
- [DJ Selects: Why startups lose control of their sales channels, and how to fix it  - Allen Miner - Oracle](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/dj-selects-taking-control-back-from-the-distributors-allen-miner-oracle/) - Oracle first came into Japan more than 25 years ago, but the challenges they faced and overcame then are exactly the same ones firms are facing today in executing their Japan market entry. Allen explains why Oracle needed a unique sales and marketing strategy for Japan, and how he managed to get buy-in from headquarters
- [One important lesson startups will forget after the panic](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/important-lesson-startups-will-forget-after-the-panic/) - Innovation drives society forward, but everyday competence keeps it on the road. Over the past five years, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about the importance of disruptive innovation, but today I’d like to talk about the framework that allows disruptive innovation to be a net positive to society. The coronavirus pandemic has some
- [What makes people pay for new online events](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-people-pay-for-new-online-events/) - You would expect that event-focused startups would be some of the hardest hit by the global pandemic and lockdown, and for the most part, you would be right. But Peatix is one event startup that adapted fast and is now actually thriving during the lockdown. We've talked with Taku Harada before, and if you have
- [Why Your Startup Accelerator is Going to Die - Hiro Maeda](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-most-startup-accerlators-will-die/) - Almost all startup accelerators are going bankrupt and going away. Hiro Maeda, the founder of two of Japan's most successful, and most different startup incubators explains both the brief past and precarious future of startup incubators and accelerators. We talk not only about the mechanics and challenges of what it takes to make an incubator successful, but Hiro has some practical advice on when founders should consider joining an accelerator and how they can avoid the 99% of them that provide no real value.
- [Why boring startups are actually the most interesting](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-boring-startups-are-actually-the-most-interesting/) - Some of the most important startups are ones you never hear about. Some industries are so complex and arcane that its hard for people on the outside to understand the problems that startups are solving or the long-term gain of solving them. Freight forwarding is one of those industries. Today we talk with Taka Sato
- [How this Musical Shoe Startup is Helping Hospitals - No New Folk Studio](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/musical-shoe-startup-helping-hospitals-no-new-folk-studio/) - Most great startup ideas don’t grab your attention right away. It takes a while before the founder’s vision becomes obvious to the rest of us. On the other hand, the startups that immediately grab all the press attention often go out of business shortly after shipping their first product. Reality never seems to live up
- [DJ Selects: How this Musical Shoe is Helping Hospitals](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/selects-how-this-musical-shoe-is-helping-hospitals/) - Most great startup ideas don’t grab your attention right away. It takes a while before the founder’s vision becomes obvious to the rest of us. On the other hand, the startups that immediately grab all the press attention often go out of business shortly after shipping their first product. Reality never seems to live up
- [Why Japan’s #KuToo is Not Really About Shoes](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-japans-kutoo-is-not-really-about-shoes/) - Today I am going to correct two big mistakes; one of my own and one of society's. I lot of listeners emailed me about the comments I made regarding how Japanese companies treat their employees and customers while they are pregnant. I got it wrong, so I would like to set the record straight. I
- [Big News for Disrupting Japan!  - Japan Startup News](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/big-news-for-disrupting-japan-japan-startup-news/) - There is big news for Tim and for Disrupting Japan this week. It's a very short episode, and I have no special links or show notes this time around. Please give the show a listen for the big reveal, and please accept my sincere thanks for all your support over the years. Disrupting Japan is
- [How Japan’s forgotten past can stop IoT's dystopian future](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-japans-forgotten-past-can-stop-iots-dystopian-future/) - Technology is global, but ideas are local. The same IoT technology is being deployed all over the world, but a small Japanese startup might be who helps us make sense of it all. There is amazing work being done in user experience design, but most designers are operating with the contract of keeping users engaged.
- [Why Men Need Women Founders - Ari Horie](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-men-need-women-founders-ari-horie/) - Ari Horie has no interest "empowering" women and sensitivity training is not in her toolkit. Ari is showing the startup world that incorporating some of the problem-solving skills and leadership techniques favored by women improves their chance of success.
- [The big reason Japanese companies can’t innovate](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-big-reason-japanese-companies-cant-innovate/) - Japanese enterprises are their own worst enemy when it comes to innovation. In this live panel discussion, I talk about my experience driving innovation at TEPCO, and Ion and Jensen share their experiences running innovation labs. This panel was part of the btrax Design for Innovation event in Tokyo last week. We talk about the
- [What You Don’t Know about Japan's Sharing Economy - Anytimes](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-you-dont-know-about-japans-sharing-economy-anytimes/) - Fewer than 1% of Japanese consumers have ever purchased a product or service from a sharing economy platform. It's actually quite puzzling. Social and economic factors all seem to indicate that Japanese cities would be ideal for sharing economy businesses, but for a number of reasons sharing economy startups have not really taken off here. Today
- [The hardest thing about hardware startups : Live from CEATEC](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-hardest-thing-about-hardware-startups-live-from-ceatec/) - This year at CEATEC, I worked with Plug & Play Japan to bring on stage founders from two very different hardware startups. We talk in-depth about what it takes to be a hardware startup in a world where venture capital seems fixated on SaaS companies and software platforms. Although their startups seem very different, Tomo
- [Artificial Intelligence’s broken promise and its secret truth](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/artificial-intelligences-broken-promise-and-its-secret-truth/) - The promise of AI is easily understood by anyone with an imagination, and for 40 years, venture capitalists have been enthusiastically investing in that promise. However, it's been significantly harder for founders to turn that investment into sustainable business models. Today we are going to look at why that is, and go over what might
- [How scammers are using your devices to steal money](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-scammers-are-using-your-devices-to-steal-money/) - Ad-fraud is one of the most profitable activities for organized crime today. The scammers are sophisticated, disciplined, and numerous, and they might be using your IoT devices to rip people off. Over the past decade, there has been relatively little of this kind of cybercrime in Japan, but that's changing as the ad-fraud crime networks
- [These robots are changing cooking forever. But one thing will never change](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/these-robots-are-changing-cooking-forever-but-one-thing-will-never-change/) - The robotics ecosystem in Japan is amazing. And confusing. It's a collection of crazy ideas, odd creations, and true breakthroughs. And despite the combination of fawning prise and snide skepticism that Japanese robotics evoke in the international press, only time can really separate the true breakthroughs from the dead ends. Today, we sit down with
- [Outside of the Bubble with Japan’s Startup Girls: Mone Kamishiraishi](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/outside-of-the-bubble-with-japans-startup-girls-mone-kamishiraishi/) - Those of us who spend our lives working with startups live in a bubble. Whether you spend your days programming at a startup or investing in new ventures, you and I see things differently than “normal” people. It happens to everyone to some extent. We all tend to interact with people who are like us,
- [Live from Stanford: Where are Japan’s Unicorns?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/live-from-stanford-where-are-japans-unicorns/) - I’ve got a special bonus episode for you this week. Last month I was part of a panel discussion hosted by Stanford University and the Japan Society of Northern California. It was part of this year’s Japan-US Innovation Awards, and it was a great conversation, so I thought I would share it with you. The
- [IoT and the Future of Poop - Atsushi Nakanishi](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/iot-future-poop-atsushi-nakanishi/) - Startup founders claiming their company is going to “change the world” has become a cliche. But rarely do we see a product that could clearly and significantly make someone’s life better. D-Free is one of those products. However...
- [What You Need to Know to Raise Money in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-you-need-to-know-to-raise-money-in-japan/) - Startups and venture capital work differently in Japan. The rounds are smaller, the priorities distinct, and while the same terms are used, people quickly discover that the definitions are often subtly different. The game is played differently in Japan. Today we get a chance to clear up a lot of the confusion as we sit
- [The Myth of the Successful Startup Failure - Hiroshi Nagashima](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-myth-of-the-sucessful-startup-failure-hiroshi-nagashima/) - Startup culture has crazy and contradictory views about failure. As founders we are told to fail fast, but also to never give up. We are told to follow our vision, but be ready to pivot. Somehow this macho-bullshit culture of “I never really fail and ‘m not afraid of failure.” has become dominant amount founders. But it’s the result of denial. Trivializing failure is a way of not thinking about it’s effects. The truth is that failure sucks. Failure is painful. Failure ...
- [Live: What You Need to Know to Work at a Startup in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-you-need-to-know-to-work-at-a-startup-in-japan/) - I’ve got a special bonus episode for you today. Last month, I moderated a panel discussion at Coral Capital’s “Bilingual’s and Gaijin in Startups” event.' Our panel focused on what foreigners should expect when working at Japanese startups and what Japanese startups should start doing to better support their international employees. It was a great
- [The Unexpected Profit Plan for Emotional Computing](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-unexpected-profit-plan-for-emotional-computing/) - The idea of computers capable of reading our emotions and responding to them is both fascinating and terrifying. Will this technology serve us or manipulate us? Well, the speculation is ending because the technology not only exists, but it is being rolled out commercially. Today I'd like you to meet Hazumu Yamazaki, co-founder of Empath.
- [Why Your New Smart-Home Won't Really Belong to You](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-your-new-smart-home-wont-really-belong-to-you/) - We've been talking about smart homes and smart cities for a long time. However, it turns out that we are not willing to pay very much for simple convenience, so the technology is coming into our homes bundled with different agendas. We've seen this happen with the success of Alexa and Google Home, and we
- [What You Need to Know To Sell Services in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/need-know-sell-services-japan-market-entry/) - Selling services in Japan is very different than selling products or software. Everyone knows that relationships are important in Japan, but not many people understand why they are so important, and how you can use that understanding to build a successful business here. Today Sriram Venkataraman explains how he grew InfoSys Japan from a one
- [What I Learned as Japan's First Professional Podcaster](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-i-learned-as-japans-first-professional-podcaster/) - There is a better way to make money in podcasting. Having to build an audience from scratch in a country where most people have never heard of podcasts, showed me a different path to audience growth, creative freedom, and $170 CPM. The strategy is not without social risk, but it works. And it’s also a
- [Why Wind and Solar Energy Make Sense in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-wind-and-solar-energy-make-sense-in-japan/) - The promise of renewable energy has always been alluring. Now that the technology has caught up to the promise, record amounts of wind and solar are coming onto the grid both in Japan and throughout the world. But so far startups, especially Japanese startups, have been playing a very limited role in this transformation. But
- [The true reason for Japan’s critical developer shortage](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-true-reason-for-japans-critical-developer-shortage/) - It's a great time to be a programmer in Japan. Everyone is hiring and there simply is not enough talent available. But why is that? The truth is that until about 10 years ago, programming was considered kind of a blue-collar, low-skill job. It was OK to start your career as a programmer, but if
- [How a Rumor Can Destroy Your Business in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-a-rumor-can-destroy-your-business-in-japan/) - Japanese thoughts on risk are changing, but they are changing slowly. Many people still consider failure to be a permanent condition, and that makes it hard to take risks, or in some cases even to be associated with risks. Today we talk with Hajime Hirose, one of Japan's new breed of serial entrepreneurs. Hajime has started companies
- [DJ Selects: How to Sell Without Salesmen in Japan - Daisuke Sasaki](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/dj-selects-how-to-sell-without-salesmen-in-japan/) - Corporate accounting is not usually the first thing the comes to mind when you think of disruptive technology, and for the most part, that’s a good thing. Daisuke Sasaki of Freee, however, is changing the way sales are made in Japan from the bottom up.
- [Silicon Valley has Chatbots all Wrong.  Here’s How They Really Make Money.](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/silicon-valley-has-chatbots-all-wrong-heres-how-they-really-make-money/) - A few years ago, shiny new startups were using their marketing dollars to tell the world that chatbots were going to change everything. Those marketing dollars have now been spent and most of those startups are no more. But for the past few years, one company has been quietly making chatbots useful, and they are
- [An Inside Look at Japan’s Curious Coding Bootcamps](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/an-inside-look-at-japans-curious-coding-bootcamps/) - The developed world is facing a severe programmer shortage. Around the world, coding boot camps have stepped into this gap to teach newcomers basic programming skills quickly. But in like so many other areas, Japan is different. Coding boot camps have been slow to take off here, and programmers are taught by a patchwork of academic degrees, on
- [Is There (Finally) a Practical Way for Foreigners to Live in Japan?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/is-there-finally-a-practical-way-for-foreigners-to-live-in-japan/) - For decades, Japan has been struggling with the economic need to attract more foreign residents to the country and the general social reluctance to do so. Over the years there have been some well-publicized failures and a few quiet successes, and Japan retains her image as a generally closed nation. But reality changes much faster than perception in
- [Can capitalism ever allow us a good night’s sleep?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/can-capitalism-ever-allow-us-a-good-nights-sleep/) - There is something odd about the way we treat sleep. We understand that it is essential for good health, but we are almost ashamed when we admit that we get enough of it. We are rightfully proud when we keep our resolutions to go to the gym more or to eat a more healthy diet, but
- [The Secret to Making E-Payments Work in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/secret-to-making-e-payments-work-in-japan/) - Whenever you hear someone claim that the Japanese will never do something for unspecified "cultural reasons", you know there is a fortune to be made. Lu Dong is the co-founder and CEO of Japan Foodie, a cashless payment system currently masquerading as a restaurant discovery application. Lu and I talk about the boom in inbound
- [Tea Ceremony in Blue Jeans & Startup Lessons](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-startup-podcast-tea-ceremony-in-blue-jeans-startup-lessons/) - Investors were skeptical that combining traditional face-to-face learning with a P2P web platform would work. Over the past three years, startup founder Takashi Fujimoto of StreetAcademy has been proving them wrong. Takashi is showing Japan that the new does not have to replace the old. Sometimes the new just makes the old things even better.
- [The Happiest Company in the World - Yuka Fujii](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-happiest-company-in-the-world/) - Yuka considers Famarry to be the happiest company in the world, and looking at who her customers are, I think she just might be right. But behind this happy company is an aggressive plan to disrupt a cartel of photo studios that have dominated the market for decades.
- [Disrupting the Final Frontier - Yuya Nakamura](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/disrupting-the-final-frontier/) - There are not many industries more resistant to disruption than satellite and aerospace. The dominant firms thrive largely because of the massive capital requirements and strong government connections. Yuya Nakamura of Axelspace is confident he can change that.
- [Why AirCloset is Not Afraid of the Fashion Box Curse](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-airclosest-not-afraid-fashion-box-curse/) - Fashion is a tough business, and fashion subscription boxes are even tougher. From the top down, this seems like a great business model. Subscribers are sent a new, hand-picked box of clothes or accessories each and every month. As you’ll see ...
- [Brick-and-Mortar is Japan's New E-Commerce](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/brick-mortar-japans-new-e-commerce/) - Ten years ago, everyone know that e-commence would drive most retail stores, especially specially stores out of business, and with the Amazon juggernaut plowing ahead, there were very few dissenters. But something very interesting is going on right now. Many e-commerce companies are opening physical stores. Even Amazon, going against all economies of scale, is
- [Making Money in Other People’s Closets - Rie Yano](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/making-money-in-other-peoples-closets-material-wrld/) - Material Wrld has found a way to innovate in online fashion commerce, and that’s no easy task. It’s a crowded market, with tight margins. Rie Yano and her team, however, have found success by going against common wisdom. While their competitors were focused on building platforms and reducing the amount of work required by their
- [Dealing with the Bad Things First - Expedia Japan - Hidemaru Sato](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/expedia-japan-dealing-with-bad-things-first-hidemaru-sato/) - Expedia had a hard road to travel when they decided to come into Japan. The Japanese market turned out to be nothing like they had ever experienced before. Not only were consumer attitudes and behaviors towards travel booking completely different than it was in their home market, but they were up against some very powerful
- [How U.S. FinTech Stripe Broke into Low-Tech Japan  - Daniel Heffernan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-fintech-stripe-broke-into-japan/) - Stripe’s Japan market entry did not go according to plan. Things worked out worked out well in the end, but they did not go according to plan. Stripe is one of the world’s largest payment processing companies, but they remained flexible and agile enough to take advantage of some of the surprises they faced in
- [The Global Niche Startup Strategy - Cerevo - Iwasa Takuma](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/global-niche-startup-strategy-cerevo/) - Cerevo wants to be a “global niche” player. That makes sense for this Internet of Things company. The IoT has become so pervasive and so successful that the terms ha become almost meaningless. Today we simply except and accept that almost everything should naturally be connected to the internet. Of course, it wasn’t always that
- [How to Create a Micro-Startup in Japan - Patrick McKenzie](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/create-micro-startup-japan-patrick-mckenzie/) - More than a few people dream of coming to Japan, starting an online business that gives you financial freedom and leaves you with enough free time to study the language travel and just enjoy Japan. I know that sounds like the opening to some terrible multi-level marketing pitch, but today we site down and talk
- [How A Failing Music Startup in Japan Pivoted to Global Success - Nana](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-a-failing-music-startup-in-japan-pivoted-to-global-success/) - It’s hard to make money with music apps. The competition is intense, and most people simply are not willing to pay much for music apps; either because music is something they only do casually or because if it’s something they do professionally, they probably don’t have money. Akinori Fumihara of Nana, however, is succeeding despite
- [How Micro-Retail Shops Are Changing Japan  - Nokisaki](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/micro-retail-shopping-changing-japan-nokisaki/) - Japan has a long history of small shopping streets and tiny markets. In fact, despite the population density, American-style mall culture never took off here. The back streets of even the most crowded downtown office districts are filled with little specialty stores and vegetable stands. Akiko Nishiura, the CEO and founder of Nokisaki, wants to
- [This Japanese Startup Beat Out NASA to Create Affordable Bio Jet Fuel](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-startup-innovating-nasa-create-affordable-bio-jet-fuel/) - There is far more to startups in Japan than SaaS software and IoT hardware companies. Biotech startups are beginning to make a mark here. Today we sit down and talk with biotech pioneer Mitsuru Izumo and talk about his ground-breaking work at Euglena. In many ways, the team at Euglena succeeded where even NASA failed. They have developed a process
- [This Japan Startup Is Changing the Way Your Kids Buy Fashion](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-startup-changing-way-kids-buy-fashion/) - Japanese fashion is unique, and so is the entire Japanese fashion industry. Today I would like to introduce you to a Japanese fashion startup with a genuinely unique business model. Tsubasa Koseki and his team at Facy, have created a fashion marketplace based on instant messaging and relationship building between shops and consumers. Interestingly, this
- [Japan Announces Plans to Land on The Moon by 2020](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-announces-plans-land-moon/) - We startup founders and investors like to talk about “moonshots”. It points out startups that have huge dreams, those that are solving hard problems, and those that will actually change the world if they succeed. Usually, the term moonshot is used metaphorically, but today I’d like to introduce you to a literal moonshot. Takeshi Hakamada,
- [A Successful Kickstarter Campaign Almost Bankrupted This Startup](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/their-successful-kickstarter-campaign-almost-bankrupted-this-startup/) - Hardware is hard. In fact, sometimes the simplest and most straightforward ideas turn out to be the hardest to implement. Today I’d like you to meet Kyohi Kang the founder and CEO of Atmoph. Atmoph is a programmable window which can display the sights and sounds of hundreds of scenic places from all over the world. It's
- [This Japanese Startup Is Using Your Phone to Make Insurance Social](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japanese-startup-is-using-your-phone-to-make-insurance-social/) - The insurance industry has proven very resistant to innovation. In fact, it has not really changed much in the past 200 years. The way insurance is sold and managed has changed, of course, but from the point of view of the consumer, things remain surpassingly like they were a century ago. Today we talk with
- [What They Never Teach You in Language School - Peter Galante Japanese Pod 101](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-they-dont-teach-you-in-language-school-peter-galante-japanese-pod-101/) - Twenty years ago, we all thought that starting a startup required a special and rare kind of talent. It was something you either had or you didn't. Today, founding and running a startup is considered more of a learnable skill. It has its own best practices, industry standards, and common knowledge. And, in both startups and
- [How Dancing Satellites from Japan Will Clean Up Outer Space](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-dancing-satellites-from-japan-will-clean-up-outer-space/) - There are a lot of aerospace startups in Japan these days. We are seeing innovation in everything from component manufacturing to satellite constellations to literal moonshots. All of those, however, depend on the ability to place new satellites in orbit, and that is getting harder and harder due to the ever-increasing amount of orbital debris. It's simply
- [Japan's Coming Startup Boom](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/show-1-japans-coming-startup-boom/) - Far too many people, including many of the Japanese themselves, consider Japanese society as inflexible and unable to change. This is simply wrong. In this kickoff episode we look at what was behind the two disruptive, transformative really, changes that Japanese society has been through in the past, and examine the groundwork that is being laid for the coming startup boom. We nail down ...
- [What Japan's Startup Ecosystem Needs to Grow - Ikuo Hiraishi](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/show-4_ikuo_hiraishi_sunbridge_venture_capital_and_more/) - The startup ecosystems in America and Europe are built around people like Ikuo, but men like him are still quite rare in Japan. After founding a series of successful (and a few less than successful) startups, Ikuo moved to the other side of the table and begin investing and mentoring.
- [Why Japan Needs to Change Its Communication Strategy](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/show-3-naoki-yamada-conyac/) - It was a unique combination of Naoki's adventure driving through the US, his ongoing frustration in working for a large Japanese firm, and his love of an anime character from his childhood that inspired him to start his own venture and to try to change the way we communicate with each other via translation. Conyac is a collaborative translation platform with an innovative approach to ensuring product quality and customer satisfaction.
- [Founding a Startup as a Foreigner in Japan - Jason Winder - MakeLeaps](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/show-5-jason-winder-makeleaps/) - Jason came to Japan from Australia to study martial arts, and his company MakeLeaps is now kicking ass in online invoicing. Jason bootstrapped MakeLeaps himself and he and his partner, Paul Oswald grew the company organically, acquired two of their domestic competitors, and recently became the first Japanese company to receive funding from an AngelList syndicate.
- [Breaking Open Japan's Closed Business Culture - Tadashi Tanimoto - Realcom](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/show-6-tadashi-tanimoto-realcom-tenex/) - Tadashi Tanimoto is a man with a big successes behind him and a big dream ahead of him. The IPO of Realcom was just a milestone in a longer journey to change the way people work together and share information. Now, I realize, that sounds like a typical committee-written and board-approved mission statement from any number of enterprise software companies. But as you get to know Tadashi, you begin to understand that he not only means it, but lives it.
- [How a Startup is Making Ticketing Pay - Taku Harada - Peatix](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/show-7-taku-harada-peatix/) - Taku walked away from the kind of a career that most people dream of. He had proven himself at Sony Music, Apple and in his late twenties he was quickly rising thought he ranks at Amazon Japan. He and his friends knew they had an amazing career ahead of them, and that terrified them. At that point they knew they had to go out on their own and build something amazing.
- [The Indirect Way a Startup is Disrupting Japan - Akiko Naka - Wantedly](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/akiko-naka-wantedly/) - Akiko Naka is an amazing woman. When you first meet, her reserved and unassuming manner makes you wonder if she really knows how potentially transformative her ideas and her company are. As you get to know Akiko, however, it becomes clear she knows exactly what she's doing. She's just doing things her way.
- [The Hardest Working Slacker in Japan - Masanori Hashimoto](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-startup-masanori-hashimoto-nulab/) - Masanori Hashimoto is the hardest woking slacker in Fukuoka. He's bootstrapped a collaborative diagramming company that is growing internationally and founded Myojyowaraku, the largest technology, music and arts festival this side of South By Southwest. But that ...
- [Japan's Accidental Entrepreneur - Yusuke Takahashi](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japanese-startup-founder-yusuke-takahashi-appsocially/) - Yusuke epitomizes the new generation of Japanese startup founders. That means he is exactly the opposite of what most Westerners picture as a startup founder in Japan. He left a fast-track, high-status job in academia to start one startup after another, in both Tokyo and in San Francisco, and while Yusuke has not achieved a massive Silicon Valley style exit just yet, there is no doubt he is on his way.
- [Japan's Seeds of Disruption](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-seeds-of-disruption-in-japanese-startups/) - The phrases "disruptive innovation" and "disruptive business" are thrown around far too often and far too loosely these days. Of course, at first glance, it would seem that the same charge could be leveled against this podcast. This is a special one-on-one episode where we talk about what disruptive innovation really means.
- [Music, Maids & Startups in Japan - Hiroshi Asaeda - Beatrobo](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-startup-podcast-hiro-asaeda-beatrobo/) - Starting and growing companies is nothing new to Hiro. He's been doing it his whole adult life. In his younger days, he always felt caught somewhere between Japanese and American culture, never really belonging to either. Hiro found inspiration in an unlikely place; Nintendo games. They were uniquely Japanese, but universally loved and intuitively understood. His journey so far has ...
- [Bursting the Filter Bubble - SmartNews - Atsuo Fujimura](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan_podcast-bursting-the-filter-bubble-atsuo-fujimura/) - One Japanese startup founder is on a mission to change not only the way we think about the news, but the way we think about each other. The "filter bubble" is a term that describes the natural, but tragic, result of search engines and news services giving us more and more of what we want. We end up seeing only information that reenforces what we already believe. Ideas that contradict our beliefs, ideas that might make us uncomfortable, and ideas we have never been exposed to get filtered out in the process of ...
- [The Japan Startup Factory - Casey Wahl - Red Brick Ventures](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/podcast_japan_startup_founder-casey-wahl-red-brick-ventures/) - Casey has been on the founding team of several Japanese startups in markets ranging from from retailing, to recruiting, to information sharing, to private social networks for pachinko parlors. Add to that the fact that he's just published a book on Japanese startup founders and their stories, and you won't be surprised to find that this turns out to be a pretty interesting discussion.
- [Innovating by Asking for Help - Eiko Hashiba](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/show-16-japan-consulting-startup-innovating-by-asking-forhelp-eiko-hashiba/) - Startup founders know that going from zero to one means not only making mistakes, but also asking for help. Unfortunately, in Japan asking for help has traditionally been seen as a sign of weakness. In both professional and personal life you are expected to be either a confident leader or an obedient follower. Such attitudes...
- [From Salarymen to Freelancers - Japan's New Economy - Koichiro Yoshida](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/from-salarymen-to-freelancers-japan-new-economy-koichiro-yoshida-crowdworks/) - Koichiro Yoshida took CrowdWorks from idea to IPO in less than three years, and today both CrowdWorks and crowd-sourcing in general are seen as essential to Japan’s future economy. Just 10 years ago, Japanese politicians pointed to freelancers and part-times as part of the cause of Japan's economic woes. Fortunately, Japan's leadership is now beginning to realizing that having a flexible and skilled workforce is actually a tremendous economic advantage.
- [Japan's New Agency Model for Innovation - Yuta Inoue](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japans-new-agency-model-for-innovation-yuta-inoue/) - Yuta Inoue and Quantum have developed a model to help large Japanese companies both work with innovative startups and to remember how to innovate internally. Many find it hard to believe today, but Japanese companies used to be some of the most innovative firms on the planet, and Yuta explains how a few of them are now starting to return to their creative roots.
- [Crowdfunding in Japan is Not About Startups - Ryotaro Nakayama](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/crowdfunding-in-japan-is-not-about-startups-ryotaro-nakayama/) - Makuake is one of Japan's largest crowdfunding platforms. It was spun out of CyberAgent in 2013 with Ryotaro Nakayama (or Naka as his foreign friends call him) as CEO. Crowdfunding has taken off more slowly in Japan than it has in the US, and it has followed a different growth path. It started out primarily as a way to raise money for charitable causes and at the moment crowdfunding seems to be having a more significant impact on corporate Japan than on smaller Japanese ventures.
- [The High Profits of Low Tech in Japanese Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-high-profits-of-low-tech-hiroki-kudo/) - I love low-tech solutions. They are more likely to be solving real problems, and if we are being honest with ourselves, a true a minimum viable product (or business) usually does not involve cool new technology. Hiroki Kudo of MerryBiz has rolled out a minimal solution to address their client’s bookkeeping needs, and he is now in the process of trying to gently walk his customers from this small, sustaining innovation to something more disruptive. Something that will change things in the long term. It’s an interesting path to be walking...
- [A Startup Changes CEO: How Open is Too Open?  - Gengo](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/changing-startup-ceo-how-open-is-too-open-matt-romaine/) - Gengo understands the need for small-batch translation. Global communication takes place exponentially faster than the project management cycle, and understanding is way too important to be left to machines. And with even the smallest and most early stage startups understand the importance of going global, Gengo seems to have found their niche.
- [Can Mario Survive Japan's New Gaming Disruption? - Rintaro Oyaizu](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/can-mario-survive-japans-new-gaming-disruption-rintaro-oyaizu/) - Every 15 years, like clockwork, the Japanese gaming industry is disrupted by a new technology. The console giants were crippled by the first generation of mobile games published by companies like DeNA and Gree. Now those companies are now losing business to smaller publishers selling through the Apple Store and Google Play. Rintaro Oyaizu used to run
- [Design in Japan is Different and That's About to Change - Brandon Hill](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/degisn-in-japan-is-different-thats-about-to-change-brandon-hill/) - Everything we thing we know about design is changing. This transformation is further advanced in America, but the seeds have already been planted in Japan and the changes are now starting to take root. Brandon Hill explains how design, rather than more traditional analytical methods, is the ideal prism from which to view potential solutions to business problems. Not just the best approach to improving products, mind you, but also the best way to improve business processes and even to better engage employees.
- [Marketing in Japan is Broken. Here's The Fix. - Sunao Munakata](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/marketing-in-japan-is-broken-heres-the-fix-sunao-munakata/) - Marketing automation is new in Japan, and it’s taking a lot of Japanese companies off guard. For decades, sales in Japan have been done by armies of salarymen in navy-blue suits visiting clients and marketing, well until recently, most Japanese companies didn’t make much of a distinction between marketing and advertising. This week, we get a chance to ...
- [Live & Unleashed - Our One-Year Anniversary](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/live-unleashed-our-one-year-anniversary/) - Disrupting Japan is one year old, and ready to party. To celebrate , we gathered some of the leaders of Tokyo's startup community together in front of a live audience, had a few drinks, and talked about the future of startups in Japan. Our panel included perspectives from software, IOT, and venture capital, which led to some interesting discussions.
- [Turning a Toy into a Data Platform - Akinori Takahagi](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/turning-a-toy-into-a-data-platform/) - The Internet of Things is becoming so commonplace that it is almost almost invisible. About a year ago, Moff launched an extremely clever IoT toy called the Moff-band that allows kids to add sound effects to their every-day play. They toy had been successful, but for Moff to take the next step they need to create a platform around the toy.
- [Why Japanese VCs are Losing Out - James Riney of 500 Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-japanese-vcs-are-losing-out-james-riney-of-500-startups/) - 500 Startups has been one of the driving forces behind the utter disruption of how seed funding is done. That shift is one of the reasons we have seen such large and diverse startup ecosystems emerging around the world. Japan, however, often changes more slowly than other nations.
- [How Japan Can Get Her Innovation Mojo Back - Sorato Ijichi](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/show-33-how-japan-can-get-her-innovation-mojo-back/) - Japan was once home to some of the most innovative companies on the planet, but those companies lost their innovate edge a long time ago. Today, many are betting on startups to change the course of the Japanese economy and to some extent, that’s already starting to happen. Ijichi Sorato of Creww, however, is betting on a different approach to win out, that of Open Innovation.
- [How Startup Thinking is Changing the Japanese Government - William Saito](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how_startup_thinking-is_changing_the_japanese_government_william_saito/) - It’s hard to imagine an organization more resistant to change and disruption than the government of Japan. But today’s guest, William Saito has made it his mission to bring innovation to the way the Japanese bureaucracy operates. And more astoundingly, he’s actually having an effect.
- [Creating Japan's Open Internet - Kaneto Kanemoto](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/creating-japans-open-internet-kaneto-kanemoto/) - More than ten years before Quora and ZenDesk became famous, there was OKWave. Kaneto Kanemoto founded OKWave to address a massive problem that was unique to the Japanese internet in the mid-1990’s. Most of the country felt the situation was inevitable, even natural, but Kaneto knew it had to change.
- [The Hard Truth Behind Japan's Cute Robots - Shunsuke Aoki](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/the-hard-truth-behind-japans-cute-robots/) - Japan has a long cultural fascination with human-like robots. Literature, cinema and anime are filled with them, and perhaps not surprisingly, a large number of Japanese startups are focused on making anthropomorphic robots. I have to admit that this fascination never really made sense to me until Shunsuke explained it during this interview.
- [Why Gay Rights Are Good Business in Japan - Koki Hayashi](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-gay-rights-are-good-business-in-japan/) - Koki Hayashi of Letibee is walking a difficult path by combining a startup business with social activism, but he just might pull it off. Japan is very rapidly becoming more accepting of those who are openly gay, and 2015 was a year of extremely rapid progress for gay rights. Letibee has plans to capitalize on this movement...
- [Winning When Everyone Tells You to Quit - Yuki Ito](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/winning-when-everyone-tells-you-to-quit/) - Over the last 25 years, both Zest and Yuki Ito have been through several different incarnations. Interestingly, these incarnations perfectly mirror the changes we have seen in Japan’s startup scene in that time. Today Zest makes cloud-based, field-service software, which ...
- [What's Holding FinTech Back in Japan - Paul Chapman](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/whats-holding-fintech-back-in-japan-paul-chapman/) - Japanese banking is one of the most conservative industries in one of the most conservative countries in the world. That’s what makes it both so difficult and so profitable to disrupt. Today, Paul Chapman talks to us about the founding and growth of Moneytree, a personal finance app that is quickly growing into something much bigger and more important.
- [How a Startup Went Global in Only 4 Seconds - Miku Hirano](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-a-startup-goes-global-in-4-seconds-miku-hirano/) - Everyone talks about the importance of international markets and how startups need to think globally from day one. Few companies, however, build that goal into their DNA as completely as Miku Hirano’s Cinnamon. Cinnamon’s core product, Tuya is a micro-video sharing platform...
- [What’s Wrong With BioTech in Japan - Molcure](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/whats-wrong-biotech-japan-molcure/) - Japan could be, and perhaps should be, a BioTech startup powerhouse. The size of the market, the aging population and the depth and quality of the fundamental research being done here should make Japan a global player. But something is holding her back.
- [Japan’s Unfair Advantage in Driverless Cars - Yuki Saji](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japans-unfair-advantage-driverless-cars-yuki-saji/) - We are about to start seeing more cars but fewer drivers on the road. Self-driving vehicles are already moving out of the labs and onto the roads world-wide, and Yuki Saji thinks Japan has a unique competitive advantage in the space. Yuki is CEO of SB Drive, Softbank’s...
- [Crowdsourcing My Career](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/crowdsourcing-my-career/) - Last week I published a article on Medium about why I was shutting down my current startup. If you haven't read it yet, you can find out Why I turned down $500K, Pissed off my investors, and Shut down my startup. The post went viral and I've received several thousand emails in the last few days. ...
- [Pivot Till It Hurts: Making Mobile Video Profitable - Pocket Supernova](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/pivot-till-hurts-making-mobile-video-profitable-pocket-supernova/) - Pocket Supernova has pivoted through three countries and three completely different products before they hit their stride with their current video editing platform for mobile, and they now seem ready to move a generation of video content creators out from behind their desktops and onto their mobile phones.
- [The Business Model Behind Startup Events - Antti Sonninen](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/business-model-behind-startup-events-antti-sonninen/) - A key component to making a startup a success is knowing who your true customers are. Today, Antti Sonninen, the Japan CEO for Slush, one of the largest startup events in the world lays out the business model for us, and the facts will probably surprise you.
- [Taking Akiba Back from The Otaku - Mitsuo Hashiba](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/taking-akiba-back-otaku-dmm-make/) - Long before the maker movement existed, Akihabara was world famous as a destination for hardware geeks, robotics nerds, and audiophiles and tinkerers of all kinds. Hundreds of tiny specialty shops lined the areas back streets and did a surprising brisk business in items you could not find anywhere else. The internet changed all that. ...
- [Startup Fundraising in Japan - Live & Unleashed](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/startup-fundraising-japan/) - Disrupting Japan is two years old and ready to party. To celebrate, we gathered the leaders of Tokyo's venture capital community together in front of a live audience of made up of the thought leaders of Japan's startup community. We all had a few drinks and talked about fundraising in Japan, the future of venture capital
- [Why The Sharing Economy is Different in Japan - Spacee](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-a-lack-of-space-became-an-advantage-in-japan-spacee/) - Spacee has staked out an interesting position in the sharing economy. Spacee enables companies and individuals to rent out unused meeting room space to people who need to hold a meeting. It's an interesting take on applying a sharing economy model to business. I’m generally very skeptical of startups who define themselves as “Uber for
- [How to Win Over Japanese Regulators - Jonathan Epstein - PayPal](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-win-over-japanese-regulators-paypal/) - FinTech is one of the hottest startup sectors right now, but if you've been in the industry for a while, you know that FinTech is always one of the hottest startup sectors. And yet FinTech companies seem strangely local. Very few succeed outside their home markets. A complex web of regulations and local sensibilities almost
- [How to Build a Market in Japan Without Localization - Derek Sorkin - GitHub](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-build-a-market-in-japan-without-localization-github/) - GitHub entered the Japanese market under enviable conditions. They already had a strong corporate user base, solid brand awareness and product evangelists throughout Japan. They did not so much push their way into the Japanese market, so much as they were pulled into it. Even under the best conditions, however, Japan market entry is not
- [What Airbnb’s Japan Problem Can Teach Your Startup](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-your-startup-can-learn-from-airbnbs-japan-problem/) - This is a rather personal episode. We have no guests this time. It’s just you and me. From the outside, it looks like Airbnb is crushing it in Japan. Listings and rentals are both increasing at an unbelievable rate, and Japan is loosening her room-sharing (or minpaku) laws. The future looks bright for Airbnb here,
- [How to Make Startup M&A Work in Japan - Naoki Yamada](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-make-startup-acquisitions-work-in-japan/) - Startup M&A is changing in Japan. In August, Naoki Yamada sold his startup Conyac to Rozetta for $14 million. It was an unusual journey of alternating cycles of rapid growth and near bankruptcy, and today Naoki explains how he managed to make the deal happen and also how M&A is changing in Japan, and it seems that change
- [Why Ride-Sharing is Different in Japan - Ryo Umezawa - Hailo](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-ride-sharing-is-different-in-japan/) - Ride sharing works differently in Japan. Hailo lost the global market-share war to Uber and Lyft, but Hailo won the battle in Japan. Today, Ryo Umezawa details Hailo’s Japan market entry strategy and explains how they were able to succeed where Uber has failed. While Uber vowed to disrupt transportation by taking on both government and industry, Hailo
- [How Japanese Startups are Breaking into Silicon Valley - Ramen Hero](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japanese-startups-breaking-silicon-valley-ramen-hero/) - More and more Japanese founders are moving their startups to San Francisco. It’s easy to see why. There is more venture capital, more startup know-how, and more startup energy in that city than anywhere else in the world. In fact, there is a small, close knit Japanese startup community in San Francisco, with Japanese startups,
- [In Japan Partnerships are a Two-Edged Sword - Doug Chuchro - Fastly](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-partnerships-are-two-edged-sword/) - Sales is different in Japan. When Fastly entered the Japanese market, they quickly discovered that they had change their technology-driven bottom up sales approach to fit Japan’s top-down enterprise market. Today we sit down with Doug Chuchro, the Japan head of Fastly who explains how he had to chance both the sales strategy and the
- [This Low-Tech Japan Travel Startup is Going Global - Bed & Art](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/low-tech-japan-travel-startup-going-global-bed-art/) - Today we are going low-tech. Sledgehammers and paint brushes low tech. Keigo Fukugaki has started his own hotel brand, BnA, which stands for Bed & Art. It’s not a platform. It’s not an online marketplace. There isn’t (yet) even a meaningful e-commerce component. BnA is a new kind of hotel that places travelers not only
- [Japan's Toys to Life is the Future of Gaming - PowerCore](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/bringing-toys-life-japan-powercore/) - Gaming is very different in Japan than it is in America, but PowerCore is introducing technology that could lead to major changes in both of them. Toys to Life technology blurs the distinction between the analog and digital worlds by having digital gameplay react to the presence of physical toys. For example, after buying a
- [Foreign Tourism is Reinventing Hiking in Japan - Yamap](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/foreign-tourism-reinventing-hiking-japan/) - Hiking, back-country skiing and mountain climbing are not usually the first things associated with Japan. Japan, however, has some stunning natural beauty and Yoshihio Haruyama of Yamap is trying to get more and more people to appreciate that. Yamap is a mobile app that allows hikers, back-country skiers and other outdoorsmen to know exactly where
- [Japan's Return Path to Innovation - Tim Rowe - CIC](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japans-path-back-innovation-tim-rowe-cic/) - There are no shortage of startup accelerators, innovation spaces and startup community hubs, and sometimes it can be difficult to put your finger on what makes one a success and another a failure. Today, Tim Rowe the CEO of the Cambridge Innovation Center walks us through what he believes will make or break a startup
- [The Real Reason Japan Can’t Innovate & What to Do About It - Xenoma](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/real-reason-japan-cant-innovate-xenoma/) - From the transistor radio to the Walkman to the Gameboy and the Playstation, Japan has always been both a leading force in hardware technology and a Mecca for gadget geeks. Over the past ten years, however, Japanese dominance in consumer hardware has been slipping away. The falling price of not just computing, but of manufacturing
- [How This Startup is Getting Japanese Moms Back to Work - Waris](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/startup-getting-japanese-moms-back-work-waris/) - Miwa Tanaka, CEO of Waris, is working to make things better for working women in Japan. Although things are slowly changing, most Japanese women still must leave the workforce when they have children. The Waris platform helps them get back on track, either as a freelancer or by restarting their career. We talk about her startup, of course,
- [The Missing Link in The Internet of Things Ecosystem - Soracom](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/missing-link-internet-things-ecosystem-soracom/) - Soracom is one of those rare Japanese startups that has the potential to become a major global player and to change the way Internet of Things devices work. The real deployment bottleneck in the Internet of Things is not the hardware or the software, but the connectivity. There are still relatively few inexpensive, flexible and
- [Japan’s Laundry Folding Robot Is Taking Over Your Closet - Seven Dreamers](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-laundry-folding-robot-startup/) - It’s often surprising to discover which problems are hard for AI. We hear stories about artificial intelligence being better than the most skilled humans at go, chess, Jeopardy, and better than many at driving a car, and we assume that computers will be as smart as we are very soon. Then we discover how hard
- [How Virtual Reality is Changing Surgery in Japan - Holoeyes](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/vr-changing-medicine-japan-holoeyes/) - Many VR startups are a solution is search of a problem, but Holoeyes is already in use at hospitals around Japan. Although the medical industry is one the most highly regulated, conservative and hard to disrupt, Holoeyes has made inroads by solving a very specific problem for surgeons. Today we sit down with Naoji Taniguchi, CEO
- [These Japanese Bio-Hackers Are Growing Affordable Meat in A Lab - Shojinmeat](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/these-japanese-bio-hackers-are-growing-meat-in-a-lab-shojinmeat/) - Growing our meat in a lab or factory has been a science fiction staple for decades, but much like jetpacks, it has never quite worked out in practice -- at least not at scale. Yuki Hanyu and his team at Shojinmeat, however, are changing that. Actually, scientists have been growing muscle tissue in labs for
- [Beneath the Cherry Blossoms with Dave McClure - 500 Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/beneath-the-cherry-blossoms-with-500-startups-dave-mcclure/) - Today we sit down with Dave McClure under the cherry blossoms and talk about startups, funding, failure Dave has long been involved in Japan and in the startup community here, and in this episode, we talk about the progress Japan has made in the past decade and the changes that still need to be made.
- [Can This Founder Solve Japan’s Hidden Mental Health Problem? - Hikari Labs](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/can-this-startup-solve-japans-hidden-mental-health-problem-hikari-labs/) - Seeking help for even minor mental health problems still carries a stigma in Japan. This is particularly unfortunate because clinical research shows that a significant portion of Japanese adults suffer from depression or other mental illnesses. Ayako Shimizu, the founder of Hikari Labs, has an innovative approach that represents a huge step forward in addressing this
- [Why Only the Uncomfortable Succeed in Japan - Jeff Sandford - Wovn.io](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/uncomfortable-succeed-japan-jeff-sandford-wovn-io/) - The translation and localization industry has seen some impressive innovations over the past decade, but in many ways, it has remained stubbornly resistant to change. Today we sit down and talk with Jeff Sandford co-founder of Wovn.io. The Wovn team has developed a way to take the pain out of web localization and translation. They
- [How This Startup Makes Money from Children's Old Notebooks - Arcterus](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/startup-makes-money-from-children-notebooks-arcterus/) - Education is one of the hardest sectors to disrupt -- or even improve upon -- and most EdTech startups struggle. Today we sit down with Go Arai and we talk about how his company, Arcterus, is taking a bottom-up approach to improving education. Arcterus has developed a service called Clear, which profits by helping students
- [How You Can Build American Startup Culture in Japan - OpenTable](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/build-american-startup-culture-japan-opentable/) - Selling innovative software to conservative Japanese businesses is never easy, but it’s particularly challenging in the cutthroat and low-margin restaurant industry. Today, we sit down with Masao “TJ” Tejima and talk about how he brought OpenTable into Japan, and why it took him much longer than he had originally hoped. It’s a wide-ranging and deep-diving
- [How One Good Idea Emerged from Japan’s Nuclear Disaster - Safecast](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-one-good-idea-emerged-from-japans-nuclear-disaster-safecast/) - After the March 2011 earthquake and the explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, TEPCO and the Japanese government tried to assure us that everything was just fine. The repeatedly insisted that there was no serious danger posed by the radiation. Not very many people believed them. Reliable data from fallout areas was sparse at best, and
- [The Little Startup from Japan That Took Down NTT - TownWiFi](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/little-startup-japan-took-ntt-townwifi/) - It’s rare for a Japanese startup to challenge NTT and come out ahead. But that’s exactly what Takehiro Ogita and his team at TownWiFi have accomplished. TownWiFi is a mobile app that automatically detects and logins into available WiFi hotspots. Since TownWiFi was very modestly funded, Takehiro and his team relied on a better user
- [The Fastest Way to Start a Startup in Japan - Mobingi](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/best-way-foreigner-start-startup-japan-mobingi/) - Platform as a Service (PaaS) has been a difficult startup business model in the US, but Wayland Zheng, founder and CEO of Mobingi, has found a way to make it work in Japan. His approach involves a combination of leveraging both a unique feature set and some unique aspects of Japanese technical buyers. Wayland also shares
- [How This American Got The Japanese Government to Fund His Startup - enTouch](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/american-got-japanese-government-fund-startup-entouch/) - Two of the most persistent and damaging myths about Japan are that it is hard to start a company here and that it is hard to do business as a foreigner. Well, those are not complete myths. Both of those things are indeed difficult, but no harder than they are in any other country. Today
- [Why Nerds Need to Stop Reading Tolkien](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/95b-life-changes-nerds-need-stop-reading-tolkien/) - (Photo Credit: WurFi) This is a short and very personal episode. Things will be changing for me and for Disrupting Japan, and sometimes when you are facing a lot of big changes, it really helps to be able to share your thoughts with people you care about. That's you. There is no guest this time.
- [Why Japan is Already Becoming the World's FinTech Leader](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-already-becoming-worlds-fintech-leader/) - FinTech in Japan is far more advanced than most outside observers imagine it to be, and based on new deregulation and government incentives, finTech in Japan is about to accelerate even more. Today we sit down and talk with Toshio Taki, co-founder of Money Forward, advisor to Japan’s Financial Services Agency, and the head of
- [This Is Why Japanese Startups Can’t Pivot](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-japanese-startups-cant-pivot/) - Japanese enterprises are particularly susceptible to disruption, and Japanese startups have a harder time than most pivoting. Both of these problems stem from the same root, and today we are going to dig up that root and have a look at it. Today we sit down with Shogo Kawada co-founder DeNA, and we talk about
- [This Startup is Turning Investing into a Lifestyle Brand](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/startup-turning-investing-lifestyle-brand/) - The financial services industry in Japan is pretty unsophisticated. There are relatively few options for brokerages and mutual funds, and what options there are tend to be expensive. Furthermore, since pensions and taxes are generally handled by the employer there is not much reason for the average Japanese to think much about investments. Jin Nakamura
- [How You Can Prepare for Japan’s Coming Wave of Cybercrime](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-you-can-prepare-for-japans-coming-wave-of-cybercrime/) - Corporate Japan is about to go through a major transition in its approach to computer security. In the past, Japan-only payment systems and the Japanese language itself provided a barrier that kept international fraud and attacks at a very low level. All that is changing now. With payment systems becoming increasingly global, and free, instant
- [Live & Unleashed - Japan's New Wave of Hardware Innovation](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/live-unleashed-japan-new-hardware-innovatoin-iot/) - Disrupting Japan is three years old, so we decided to invite a few hundred movers and shakers from Tokyo's startup community over to have few drinks and to hear three of Japan's most successful startup CEOs talk about what it takes for Japanese startups to succeed globally. Our panel included the CEOs of some of the most
- [The Hard Thing about Hardware Startups in Japan - Logbar](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/hard-thing-hardware-startups-japan-logbar/) - There’s a very good reason most Japanese hardware startups fail. Today we sit down with Takuro Yoshida CEO and founder of Logbar, and we dive into the reasons and also go over Logbar’s strategy for avoiding the mistakes that have killed off so many other Japanese IoT startups. Takuro is the creator of one of
- [The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Asia](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/future-artificial-intelligence-asia/) - Today I have a special in-between episode for you. At this year's big Tech In Asia Tokyo event I moderated a panel on artificial intelligence with some of the leaders in the field in Asia. We talked about how to separate the AI hype from reality, where companies can and are finding competitive advantage in
- [How Machine Learning Is Changing The Way We Watch Video](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-machine-learning-is-changing-the-way-we-watch-video/) - Video is taking over the internet, but in many ways, it has not changed significantly in the past 40 years. The way we discover and pay for video content has changed significantly, of course, but we still consume video in a continuous, linear sequence, and that’s about to change. Sandeep Casi and his team at
- [Why Japanese Design Is So Different & What You Should Learn from It](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/why-japanese-design-is-so-different-what-you-should-learn-from-it/) - There are a lot of passionate opinions about Japanese design. From the beauty and subtlety of the best Japanese anime to the design horrors of most corporate Powerpoint presentations, Japanese design covers a huge range. Things are changing though, and today we sit down and talk with Naofumi Tsuchiya, the founder and CEO of Goodpatch,
- [What Every Foreigner Needs to Know about Hiring Staff in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/what-every-foreigner-needs-to-know-about-hiring-staff-in-japan/) - Japanese labor law is very different from what is standard in the US or Europe, and more than a few foreigners have made simple mistakes that have cost them their jobs or their entire companies. Terrie Lloyd has started more than a dozen companies in Japan over the past 30 years and has hired hundreds
- [How Startups Can Compete In The New Energy Markets](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/startups-can-compete-new-energy-markets/) - The global energy markets are transforming themselves right before our eyes. Very little fundamental change has occurred over the past 70 years, but 10 years from today the Japanese and global markets are going to look completely different. Today we sit down with Yohei Kiguchi CEO in Enechange, Japan’s largest retail energy switching platforms, and we
- [Why Artificial Intelligence Is The Key to Fixing Japan’s Rigid Education System](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/artificial-intelligence-key-reforming-japans-rigid-eduction-system/) - Using artificial intelligence to change the way the education system works seems like a fool’s errand. When you combine the fluid and opaque nature of AI technology with the slow, bureaucratic decision making of education, you usually wind up with the perfect storm of stagnation, frustration, and rapidly burning through investor capital. Out guest today, however,
- [This Japanese Startup Is Bringing The Human Genome to The Mass Market](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japanese-startup-bringing-human-genome-mass-market/) - Right now, it looks like the most profitable business models that are emerging from the mapping of the human genome are not in the field of medicine, but in a variety of B2C business models focused on consumer marketing. That may be a surprising claim, but if the past 40 years of life sciences have taught us
- [How Startups Can Attract, Retain, and Develop Staff in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-startups-can-attract-retain-and-develop-staff-in-japan/) - Have you ever been at a crowded and noisy party and heard a conversation across the room? You catch pieces of it, and you know it is interesting, but you can’t quite make it out and you can quite push your way over to that side of the room to be a part of it.
- [Japan’s Secret Strategy for Global Drone Domination](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japans-secret-strategy-for-drone-domination/) - Blue Innovation attracted a lot of international attention last year when they announced the T-Frend drone system. This dystopian drone flies around offices after hours reminding staff not to work overtime, and taking pictures of those who violate overtime policy so that management can be alerted. We’ll talk about this particular drone, of course, but Blue Innovation's
- [Live & Unleashed - How to Run a Startup as a Foreigner in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/live-unleashed-how-to-run-a-startup-as-a-foreigner-in-japan/) - Disrupting Japan is four years old, so we decided to invite a few hundred movers and shakers from Tokyo’s startup community over to have few drinks and to hear three of Japan’s most successful foreign startup CEOs talk about what it takes to succeed in Japanese when you are not Japanese. Our panel included some of
- [This Startup Just Built Japan’s Most Powerful Supercomputer](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/startup-just-built-japans-most-powerful-supercomputer/) - Preferred Networks is making changes in Japan. Over the past few years, this AI startup has raised more than $130M in venture funding and grown to more than 130 people. If you live outside of Japan, you might not have heard of this team, but they are working with Toyota to create the next generation of
- [How to Solve Japan's Innovation Bottleneck in Healthcare](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/how-to-solve-japans-innovation-bottleneck-in-healthcare/) - Startups are changing how business is done in Japan, but medicine remains stubbornly resistant to innovation. In some ways, that's good. We are literally experimenting with peoples lives, so caution is definitely warranted. We don't want to rush things. However, Japan's national health insurance acts as a single buyer, and sometimes the only way to
- [Japan’s Business Card Giant Explains Why Business Cards Are Disappearing](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-business-card-giant-explains-why-business-cards-are-disappearing/) - If you've ever done business in Japan, someone probably walked you through the intricacies of Japanese business card culture. Chika Terada, the founder of Sansan, created one of Japan's most successful startups around the business card protocol. And even though Sansan has been expanding quickly and is on track for an IPO, Chika thinks that
- [How Japan’s Unique Relationship with Robots is About to Make it #1 Again](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/japan-unique-relationship-with-robots-make-japan-number-one/) - Japan had been a global leader in robotics for decades, but recently the traditional Japanese leaders have been losing ground to the better-funded and better-publicized firms coming out of America and China. Mujin is changing that. While iRobot and Boston Dynamics have been grabbing headlines and YouTube views, Mujin has been quietly breaking ground with
- [Foreign Startup Founders Have Secret Advantages in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/foreign-startup-founders-have-secret-advantages-japan/) - The single most common question I get asked are variations of "How do you start a business as a foreigner in Japan?" or "What's it like to start a startup as a foreigner in Japan?" It's always been a hard question to answer simply because it is such a big one, that it can be hard
- [Men and Women Watch TV Differently. Here’s how to make money from that.](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/men-and-women-watch-tv-differently-heres-how-to-make-money-from-that/) - Most of us don't actually zone out in front of the TV. In fact, we give off all kinds of clues to what we really think about the shows we are watching. Japanese startup, T-Vision Insights has come up with a way both to measure and to monetize those reactions. Today we sit down with founder
- [The App Store for Medical Devices Is Being Tested Right Now](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/app-store-for-medical-devices-is-being-tested-right-now/) - There are relatively few biotech startups in Japan. Few investors are willing to write the multi-million dollar checks and have the decades-long patience that is required to really succeed investing in this industry. But startups find a way, and an innovative biotech ecosystem has started to develop in Japan despite the lack of traditional funding.
- [Creating Japan’s Open Internet – Kaneto Kanemoto](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/creating-japans-open-internet-kaneto-kanemoto-summary/) - Kaneto Kanemoto founded OKWave to address a problem that was unique to the Japanese internet in the mid-1990’s. Most of the country felt the situation was inevitable, even natural, but Kanemoto-san knew it had to change. Although Japanese people are exceptionally polite in day-to-day interaction, due to the anonymous nature of the Internet, people behaved
- [The Dark Side of Japan’s Customer Service](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/dark-side-japans-customer-service/) - The Japanese commitment to customer service is legendary, but it has a dark side as well. We Westerners are usually taken aback when we first encounter it, but it is something that most Japanese have simply grown to accept. ...
- [A 'Sales Director' Is Not What You Think in Japan](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/sales-director-not-think-japan/) - The other month I had the kind of sales call that haunts the nightmares of Western sales professionals, but is all too common in Japan. My contact led me into a conference room far too large for the six people attending. Pleasantries and name cards were exchanged. I then walked to the far end of the room and remained there ...
- [Market Entry for Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/market-entry-for-startups/) - Some Japanese startup friends of mine are now living in San Francisco and competing in the toughest startup ecosystem in the world, and they're doing just fine. The team put together a great pair of resources. One for entrepreneurs and startups wanting to explore the Japanese market, and another site for Japanese founders who want to go global — or
- [Why Gay Rights Are Good Business – Koki Hayashi (Summary)](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/gay-rights-good-business-koki-hayashi-summary/) - Koki Hayashi of Letibee was walking a difficult path by combining a startup business with social activism. Japan is very rapidly becoming more accepting of LGBT individuals, and we’ve seen very rapid progress over the past two years for gay rights. Letibee is an online gathering place for Japan’s LGBT community, and they generate revenues
- [The Hard Truth Behind Japan’s Cute Robots – Shunsuke Aoki (Summary)](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/hard-truth-behind-japans-cute-robots-shunsuke-aoki-summary/) - Japan has a long fascination with human-like robots. Literature, cinema and anime are filled with them, and perhaps not surprisingly, a large number of Japanese startups are focused on making anthropomorphic robots. I have to admit, that this fascination never really made sense to me until Shunsuke Aoki, CEO of Yukai Engineering explained it during
- [Disrupting the Final Frontier – Yuya Nakamura (Summary)](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/disrupting-final-frontier-yuya-nakamura-summary/) - There are few industries more resistant to disruption than aerospace. The dominant firms thrive largely because of the massive capital requirements and strong government connections. Yuya Nakamura of Axelspace is confident he can change that. Axelspace’s micro-satellites are a complete redesign of what a satellite can be, and they come in at 10% the weight
- [The Happiest Company in the World – Yuka Fujii](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/happiest-company-world-yuka-fujii/) - Yuka Fujii considers Famarry to be the happiest company in the world, and looking at who her customers are, I think she just might be right. But behind this happy company is an aggressive plan to disrupt a cartel of photo studios that have dominated the Japanese market for decades. Changes in technology and demographics
- [Why Sales in Japan is Not So Different](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/sales-japan-not-different/) - Last week a friend sent me a link to an infuriating article on How to Sell in Japan. My friend denies it, but I suspect he sent it to me knowing full well it would irritate me for the rest of the week. I'm not going to dignify the original article with a link, but the gist was that selling to Japanese companies is
- [Disrupting Japan on GPod](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/disrupting-japan-gpod/) - Last week I had a chance to sit down on the other side of the microphone for a change. I talked with my friend Anthony Joh of GPod fame about my own experiences coming to Japan, the craziness that was Tokyo in the heady bubble days, a few of my past companies and my own

## Pages

- [About Tim](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tim/) - Tim Romero is a Tokyo-based innovator, author, and entrepreneur who finds speaking of one’s self in the third person to be insufferably pompous. So I’m going to stop. My dreams of being a rockstar never worked out, but over the years I’ve managed to have fun, make friends, fall in love, sell a couple of
- [How to Connect with Japanese Startups in 2026](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/connecting_with_japanese_startups/) - I get asked a lot about the best way to get involved with Japanese startups, how to connect with other founders in Japan, and for advice on how to start a startup in Japan. I enjoy answering questions and talking about startups, but I am at heart a lazy person, so I put this together
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- [Getting Started](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/getting-started-disrupting-japan/) - Hi! Thanks for dropping by. I've been writing and speaking about Japanese startups and innovation and about Japan market entry for a very long time. More important, I've been doing it for a long time. I've started a number of companies in Japan and have lead the Japan market entry for others. Disrupting Japan was
- [Sponsorship](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/sponsorship/) - Thanks for ,mm,a.scm . I'd love to have you help support the Disrupting Japan community. The commubity is a group of very engaged and very passonate listeners I don't accept sponsoships from companies I don't believe in or that woudl not genuinely help the comunnity. Sponoship slots are quiite limited If you want more information
- [Disrupting Japan Inroads](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/inroads/) - Read the Minds of Japan’s Top CEOs Exclusive Case Studies in Japan Market Entry and Expansion Inroads gives you exclusive access to the strategies the most successful global brands use to get traction and grow their business in Japan. Why You Need to Read Inroads Every other week you’ll examine a new detailed case study
- [Timeline](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/timeline/)
- [So What's All this Then?](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/about/) - We in Japan are living in “interesting times”. The country’s political and economic leaders are in agreement that new companies, small start-ups in particular, are the key to revitalizing Japan’s economy. While there are small and growing startup ecosystems in a few key Japanese cities, when we listen to the politicians, the academics and the

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/uncategorized/)
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- [Japan Startup Podcasts](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/japan-startup-podcasts/)
- [EdTech Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/edtech/)
- [FinTech Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/fintech/)
- [Foreign Founders](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/foreign-founders/)
- [Hardware Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/hardware/)
- [Japanese Business Culture](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/business-culture/)
- [Japanese Culture](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/japanese-culture/)
- [Low-Tech Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/low-tech/)
- [Tim on Japanese Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/solo-shows/)
- [Live Shows](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/live-shows/)
- [Uniquely Japanese Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/uniquely-japanese-startups/)
- [Japan Venture Capital](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/venture-capital/)
- [Women Founders](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/women-founders/)
- [Bio Tech](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/bio-tech/) - Bio-Tech startups in Japan are different from those in the West, and innovtion is occuring along different lines in Japan.
- [AI Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/ai-startups/) - Here are some of the most interesting and innovative AI startups in Japan. Meet the CEOs and see where Japan’s startup ecosystem is heading.
- [Aerospace Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/aerospace-startups/) - Here are some of the most interesting an innovative aerospace startups in Japan. Meet the CEOs and see where Japan’s startup ecosystem is heading.
- [E-Commerce Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/e-commerce-startups/) - These are some of Japan’s most innovative and successful e-commerce startups. The e-commerce markets are different in Japan and the kinds of startups you find in the space are different as well.
- [Fan Favorites](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/fan-favorites/)
- [Venture Capital](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/category/podcast/venture-capital-podcast/)

## Tags

- [Venture Capital](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/venture-capital/) - A collection of interviews with the thought leaders in Japan’s venture capital community. Things are changing quickly in Japan, and the way startups are financed has changed radically in the last 10 years.
- [Unique Japanese Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/unique-japanese-startups/) - Some startups have a uniquely Japanese flavor. Some have business models that could only work in Japan and some got their start in Japan and are going global. These interviews give you insight into some of the most uniquely Japanese startups here.
- [Foreign Founders](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/foreign-founders/) - Starting a company is hard, and starting a company in a foreign country is even harder. These are interviews with some of Japan’s most successful foreign founders.
- [FinTech Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/fintech/) - This is a collection of interviews with the founders of some of the most innovative FinTech startups in Japan. From invoicing to settlement to alternative currencies.
- [Japanese Business Culture](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/japanese-business-culture/) - Business works differently in Japan. These in-depth discussions dive into some of the most important differences between Japanese and Western business culture.
- [Women Founders](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/women-founders/) - Startups provide a unique opportunity for Japanese women and a surprising number of startups in Japan are founded by women. These interviews with female Japanese startup founders dive into how Japanese society is changing,
- [Japanese Culture](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/japanese-culture/) - Startups provide a unique insight into a nation’s culture. They show us what problems a nation considers worth solving, and these interviews reveal some surprising insights into Japanese culture.
- [Tim on Japanese Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/tim-on-japanese-startups/) - A collection of essays and podcasts on startups and innovation in Japan. The amount of creativity and innovation bubbling up in Japan today is astounding but often overlooked.
- [Hardware Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/hardware-startups/) - This is a collection of interviews with the founders of some of the most innovative hardware startups in Japan. From aerospace to robotics to IoT.
- [EdTech Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/edtech/) - This is a collection of interviews with the founders of some of the most innovative EdTech startups in Japan.
- [Low Tech Startups](https://www.disruptingjapan.com/tag/low-tech-startups/) - SaaS and gaming startups get all the attention, but some of the most interesting startups in Japan are decidedly low tech. These interviews introduce you to a side of Japanese startups most people outside Japan never see.