The Japanese government is now plotting a future course based on software/content and soft (tissue) engineering. If really happening, it will create all kinds of opportunities for start-ups both local and inbound.

According to a NHK report, the police collared a renter after he ignored multiple requests to stop sub-letting the premises. Apparently his Adachi Ward neighbors complained of "strange people" staying at the building.

A battle is brewing in the USA between crowdsourced accommodation provider Airbnb and the state of New York, which is challenging Airbnb's very business model allowing unlicenced individuals to rent out their homes for short periods.

The Country Manager of a foreign company starting up in Japan is more than just a manager, he/she also has to be an entrepreneur and salesperson to run the minutiae of a new business for the first 3-5 years.

A newer global self-help entrepreneurial business organization, TiE, has appeared on the Japan scene, and this one seeks specifically to develop new entrepreneurs, although the networking aspect is there as well.

Consumption tax legislation will kick in in 2015 adding an extra 10% (up from zero) on digital contents/services that are purchased by consumers (versus businesses) from suppliers abroad.

The first edition of Terrie's Take for 2014. We take a peek into the future and ask ourselves what trends or macro developments might happen and what impact they will have on doing business in Japan.

This year's summary of key events revolves in around the role of government intervention and the trends that such politically-driven activity will have on our businesses in 2014.

Coffee shops are particularly interesting because their role has changed from that of smoky dens for salesmen out of the office and killing time, to that of fashionable internet-connected meeting places.