Back Issues Letters to the Ed. After graduating from Rikkyo University, he joined a think tank called JMA Research Institute, where he focused on information technology. Next he and an associate started Kai Co., a consultancy advising clients on IT and desktop publishing. About four years ago the Net bug bit him, and a content startup called Vagabond caught his attention. He became president in 1997.
Vagabond describes itself as an Internet content company.
Primarily it distributes email newsletters, but it also has a related site for each title and finds other ways to squeeze money out of words, such as licensing its content to the likes of Yahoo, selling ads, and offering both free and pay-for versions of its offerings. It's also moving into cell phone content, one of the hottest sectors in Japan. Don't underestimate the power of email newsletters in Japan. As we wrote last month, they're still the best way to reach Japanese online consumers. Kyoko Fujimoto met Hara at our offices.