Dynamics and trends of female startups in the Japanese entrepreneurial environment

Abstract

The Japanese government has been focusing more and more on the involvement of women in the socio-economic life of the country. Thus female entrepreneurship in Japan is gaining momentum every year. The Ministry of   Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and private economic funds note quite effective techniques and interesting innovations of female startups. Despite the active implementation of high technologies and new methods in entrepreneurial activity by Japanese businesswomen, the number of registered companies does not exceed 1–2% in the last decade. Moreover, Japanese women entrepreneurs in the high-tech sector have to cope not only with the general gender issues typical of the Japanese entrepreneurial environment, but also have to face unique challenges of the startup sector. However, the low competitiveness in terms of quantitative indicators relative to male businesses is fully compensated by qualitative indicators. The restructuring of women’s companies, their transformation from “unicorn” to “zebra”, as well as the growth of results and the related widening of the femtech market, indicate the positive dynamics and relevance of women’s business projects in the current Japanese economy. It is of serious scholarly interest to answer the question: what factors influence startup entrepreneurial activity among Japanese female entrepreneurs and what trends can we observe in the near future?