Good article, but I think the author understates a bit how hard it is for ANY foreign tech company to do well in Japan. You can almost always take your American business, apply it as-is (with some decent translation/localization) to major European markets, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, even South America, and so pretty well in most cases. Try the same in Japan, though, and you'll generally fail.
It's a wildly different culture in so many different ways, and there are tonnes of local competitors who are likely in your niche, but specifically targeting Japan, with an intimate knowledge of Japanese culture. The few foreign tech companies that have done well in Japan basically have a separate business and product just for Japan, like Yahoo Japan.
If you're thinking about investing significantly into entering Japan as an American tech company, you probably shouldn't, unless you're willing to invest HUGE resources into it (and even then, it's a massive gamble).
It's a wildly different culture in so many different ways, and there are tonnes of local competitors who are likely in your niche, but specifically targeting Japan, with an intimate knowledge of Japanese culture. The few foreign tech companies that have done well in Japan basically have a separate business and product just for Japan, like Yahoo Japan.
If you're thinking about investing significantly into entering Japan as an American tech company, you probably shouldn't, unless you're willing to invest HUGE resources into it (and even then, it's a massive gamble).