The Economist recently stated that ‘the latest GEM global report gives Japan the lowest score for entrepreneurship of any big country’ and that the country’s policies encouraged ‘“replicative” rather than “innovative” behaviour’. However, the GEW events in Tokyo took off on Monday with a positive wide presentation of ‘Japan’s Entrepreneur Scene’.

Takashi Sakamoto

Monday’s main event was a daylong conference entitled ‘The Entrepreneurial Spirit to Change Society and the World’. This included sessions on the factors affecting entrepreneurship in Japan and the changes that could be brought forward, the importance of design (with speeches from Water Group CEO Naoki Sakai and Ken Okuyama Design CEO Kiyoyuki “Ken” Okuyama, amongst others), and a celebration of Peter Drucker and and his ‘Social Entrepreneurship’.

Today, Tuesday 17 November, The Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo, created an ‘Entrepreneurial Environment’ in which members where able to learn from Japan’s top entrepreneurs, network with like-minded individuals, and develop their own business pursuits. Takashi Sakamoto, from New Value Corporation and founder of Book-Off, delivered an inspiring speech. The Honda Prize of the Year 2009 was also awarded.

Tomorrow will be dominated by the 6^th Women Entrepreneurship Networking Event and a conference on Entrepreneurship in China.