The government programs come in many different shapes and forms, and even if an application for one type of support is not approved, there is a good chance that another will be. Enthusiasm on the part of the applying company is the most important ingredient. The eighth and final point is for entrepreneurs to continue to run their businesses with vision, pride, and a spirit of adventure. What frightens me above all else right now is to see the heads of these companies succumb to the pain of the recession and lose their entrepreneurial spirit. As I said earlier, though the Japanese economy is in a rough period right now, this does not by any means imply that Japan's base of technological superiority is crumbling.
Japan has tremendous latent strength.
By all means I want to see the entrepreneurs keep their spirits up and persevere through the hard times. The real strength of Japan's small and medium-sized enterprises is not that they are monopolies or number one in their respective industries. Where Japan clearly leads other nations is in its abundance of smaller companies that are not industry leaders and do not receive accolades from anybody but that nevertheless persist in their efforts, applying their ingenuity to dealing with their problems, operating with sincerity, and maintaining their vision and spirit of adventure. No other country boasts so many small firms that can be relied on to meet delivery deadlines and quality requirements without fail.