Amid Japan?s Earthquake, Entrepreneurship
Monday, March 14, 2011
By Elmira Bayrasli
700 times. That’s how much stronger, the U.S. Geological Survey says, Friday’s 8.9 magnitude earthquake in northern Japan was than the one that hit Haiti at 7.0 last year. Luckily the damage and the loss of life in Japan, though in the hundreds of thousands, was not 700 times larger.Preparedness, many say, made the difference.
Japanese industriousness and engineering has become the gold standard to achieve and replicate. In Japan, however, it has become the standard to uphold. For that, some say, the country needs – not more industry, but entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship has been cited as an urgent need for Japan, in order for it to climb out of its recession and counter the effects of an aging workforce and economy. Friday’s earthquake in which landlines and mobile phones were knocked out, forcing the public to communicate on-line, crisis response may be another reason the island nation needs to consider focusing on start-ups. Though Japanese citizens were able to follow events on radio and TV, it was largely through social networking platforms, such as Google Finder, Facebook and Twitter, that they were able to connect with loved ones and, in many cases send out a call for help for themselves or for those missing or hurt.
