JAPANEUR

Japan is an enigma, for centuries locked away from the rest of the world.

During its isolation, Japan survived brutal domestic wars. Later it transcended devastating defeat in global conflict, and today it persists through a decades-long economic malaise. Despite all of this, a culture obsessed with social harmony, quality and intrepidness survived, a culture that — oddly alien and simultaneously and irresistibly attractive — has touched every corner of the globe.

Yet Japan faces intractable, existential challenges. A dwindling population, serious social wellness problems, and an economy marked more and more by FOMO and fear, and less and less about innovation, risk and return. Japan’s decades of efforts to solve its social problems, regain global relevance and reinvigorate its economy have yet to prove effective, and Japan now finds itself facing the dire environmental reality that every country sharing this greenhouse faces.

Today, there is a new wave of creatives, thinkers, entrepreneurs, artisans and learners capable of creating smart, sustainable and socially beneficial ways of living and working. These individuals are setting the stage for a better world for us and our children. For many of them, Japan provided inspiration. And most of them, knowingly or otherwise, are empowered by principles and practices that originated in Japan.

All of them are creating a better life today and a better world for tomorrow.

They are modern day JAPANEUR.