An Innovator in Japan: Steve Sakanashi

Shohei Narron
Sep 3, 2018 · 4 min read

Each week in our Innovators in Japan series, we feature the latest trends and key people within the Japanese startup ecosystem. We’ve discussed a wide variety of topics from the state of FinTech, to SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son’s ambitions.

This week, our topic of discussion is a US-born 4th generation Japanese American who decided to move halfway across the globe to make a difference in Japan’s entrepreneurship culture, one student at a time. Meet Steve Sakanashi, founder of Sekai Creator.

Beginnings:

Steve Hiroshi Sakanashi was born in LA to a Sansei (third-generation Japanese) father and Issei (first-generation Japanese) mother. Growing up in LA as a Yonsei, he was influenced by his parents’ culture and the local Japanese scene, though he never visited Japan as a child.

The one opportunity to visit Japan was cut short when he once saved up enough for a ticket to see his grandmother in Japan. He realized that he was unable to travel alone, and his grandmother too frail to fly across the world. Utterly disappointed, he pushed himself further away from Japan. “Disdain things you cannot have,” as Machiavelli once stated, was perhaps what crept into his young mind.

At age 18, Steve is dealt another blow in life when his father was diagnosed with cancer which ultimately claimed him two weeks before Steve’s graduation.

However, with one of his father’s last encouragements, he went on to Seattle Pacific University, his father’s alma mater. This is where he leaned back into his Japanese ancestry seeking any chance he could get to talk to Japanese exchange students. He learns about their struggles as foreigners in the US, often relating back to his mother’s experience as an Issei in LA.

During his time in college, a close family friend of his invited Steve to volunteer for a summer program provided by Athletes in Action, an experience that finally brought Steve to Japan. Even though he wasn’t able to see his grandmother, he spent time with his great aunt and uncle who Steve describes as his adoptive grandparents.

Helping Others Through His Actions:

Steve wrapped up college with a research project on Japanese-American soldiers during WW2. He learns in the process that that the 442nd Infantry Regiment, comprised of mostly all Niseis, is the most decorated regiment in US military history. To add to this fact, Japanese-American soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their efforts during WW2 at a rate of 1-in-667, 54 times as frequently as others at 1-in-36,000.

His interviews with veterans exposed him to the reasons why these soldiers, considered potential enemies of the state due to their nationality and imprisoned, voluntarily enlisted. To them, the fate of every Japanese American after the war will depend on their actions.

“Would they forever be branded as disloyal, untrustworthy, 3rd class citizens? Or would they be considered loyal, courageous, model citizens?

There were two very different futures for them, for their families, and for their future generations…

…these were men that were committed to the good of others, no matter what it took, and they achieved what others believed was impossible.” — Steve Sakanashi

Organizing for Good:

Learning more about the Japanese experience in the US, Steve found the Megumi Initiative, a faith-based organization committed to “blessing Japan through initiatives in business, education, arts, sports, and Bible teaching.” He then started another organization, Eigo Cafe, a volunteer-based English communication non-profit with a 3-to-1 Japanese to English speaker ratio in 2012.

Then came Sekai Creator. Sekai Creator was a Seattle-based entrepreneurship bootcamp meant to bring Japanese exchange students closer to the nearby business community in the Seattle area. After talking to dozens of Sekai Creator students, he realized what the youth in Japan needed the most to flourish as entrepreneurs: role models and mentorship. Japan simply did not have modern innovators that the youth looked up to, not to mention the culture that often stifles creative and independent pursuit of non-traditional life choices. But amidst these challenges he felt these Japanese college were facing, he also sensed a strong desire to start something different from each of his mentees. In 2014, he and his family decided to move to Japan and commit his energy to the Sekai Creator project.

Nurturing Entrepreneurs One Student at a Time:

“When passionate people are educated, challenged, and coached, they create a better world,” says Steve in the introduction to Sekai Creator. Yes, Japan is starting to see new role models for the digital age like earlier members of Mercari and Coincheck emerge. But this is still a far cry from the hay days of Japanese automakers and electronics company, the likes of which include Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Toshiba, Sony, etc (try asking your American friends if they’ve heard of Mercari or Coincheck).

Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and Wall Street continue to grow and sustain itself primarily due to the ecosystem they’ve each created in their distinct fields of specialization. Go to any of these places, and you will witness an undeniable sense of hustle and bustle in their respective fields, from brushing into local legends at a local cafe, to fierce competition among rival firms striving to out do one another.

Japan, with its rich history of craftsmanship and technology, has a solid foundation upon which to rebuild a technology empire. What it lacks is encouragement on all fronts, from societal expectations regarding career choice, to newcomer mentors who have themselves succeeded in entrepreneurship. Steve and his Sekai Creator project may be only one piece of the puzzle, but it is one that matters greatly to the future of Japanese entrepreneurship. Bringing his unorthodox background to a very orthodox land to shine the way forth to a world many have not even thought possible is what makes Steve Sakanashi is an Innovator in Japan.

Innovators in Japan

Leading voices of the Japanese startup scene.

Shohei Narron

Written by

Born and raised in Japan, working in Silicon Valley, sent back to Japan as an expat. Founder of Innovators in Japan.

Innovators in Japan

Leading voices of the Japanese startup scene.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade