I think Japan's general economic malaise over the past few decades have been off-putting for investors and entrepreneurs that do not look for only a sizable market, but the promise of a GROWING sizable market. With an aging population, general economic slowdown, rigid labour market and social contracts that are very specific within the Japanese context, this is not all too encouraging for outsiders.
Although I would think that for businesses operating in the seniors' product and services sector, robotics, or artificial intelligence, to name a few, Japan would be the frontier and would be much more attractive to explore. So it would depend very much on the product, the team behind the product, status quo in the domestic market, etc.
But the discussion over whether it's worthwhile to tame the Japanese market reminds me of this article (http://potlatch.typepad.com/weblog/2011/02/whatever-happened...) that asks why the world's collective attention has shifted away from Japan in recent years.
Although I would think that for businesses operating in the seniors' product and services sector, robotics, or artificial intelligence, to name a few, Japan would be the frontier and would be much more attractive to explore. So it would depend very much on the product, the team behind the product, status quo in the domestic market, etc.
But the discussion over whether it's worthwhile to tame the Japanese market reminds me of this article (http://potlatch.typepad.com/weblog/2011/02/whatever-happened...) that asks why the world's collective attention has shifted away from Japan in recent years.