The head of Intel Japan retired early to spend more time with his family. In our May issue we devoted 20 pages to covering Bit Valley. This time we take a look at the other high-tech areas of Japan, from Okinawa to Hokkaido. This new breed of patents is causing all sorts of headaches for Japan's startups and corporate giants alike, and many are starting to fight back with patents of their own. Beer on tap, for starters.
Stock options help, too.
Last month we told you hot startups were hard to find in Japan, so this month we decided to find a few. It's all in search of tech ventures in the world's biggest economy and biggest online nation outside the States. We asked, they came, we gave 'em some coffee, and they told us. The absurdly high real estate prices of the Bubble Economy are ancient history. Today's boom is more selective, primarily benefitting the IT-compatible properties favored by New Economy players.