I don’t know what happened, but what started as a slow, hot and muggy summer week in Tokyo ended up being a media frenzy for me. Since this is a first for me, I thought I’d blog about it.
On Monday (7/11), The Nikkei Weekly published my opinion piece on “Entrepreneurs: Japan’s hidden resource” (pg. 26) where I talk about how governments have an opportunity to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.
On Tuesday (7/12), McKinsey held the launch party for their book, “Reimagining Japan: The Quest for a Future That Works”, in which I contributed a chapter entitled, “Venture and Social Capital: A Vision for Japan” (pgs. 318-323).
On Wednesday (7/13), the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (SCCIJ) invited me to speak at their July luncheon where I spoke about “Reigniting the Entrepreneurial Spirit in Japan: Now is the Time.”
On Wednesday (7/14), the magazine Think! by Toyo Keizai published my Reimagining chapter in Japanese titled “日本に提案する未来像” (pgs. 90-93).
On Friday (7/15), The Economist quoted me in their print publication about “Innovation in Japan – Samurai go soft: Japan’s preference for hardware over software is fading.” Later, I was interviewed on The Today Programme on BBC Radio 4 where I spoke about the future of Japan and the opportunities that abound here. (rescheduled for later due to breaking news)
Today, Monday (7/18), I got interviewed by TV Tokyo’s World Business Satellite (WBS) to talk about young (20-something) entrepreneurial ventures and the importance of them going after global markets. This was one of my first long interviews in Japanese so it was definitely not my best performance – need a lot more practice!
Phew … what a week. I wonder how long this will keep up! For those who read, saw or listened to any of this, please feel free to send me any comments.