为什么99%的日本企业即将消失？

 
 
 
Japan is facing a quiet economic crisis. Every day, more small businesses are shutting down, even ones that are profitable and have been around for decades.
In this video, we explore one of the country’s most overlooked and deeply rooted challenges: the struggle to pass businesses from one generation to the next.
What’s really behind this wave of closures, and what could it mean for the future of Japan and other aging societies around the world?
 
日本正面临一场无声的经济危机。每天都有更多小企业倒闭，即使是那些盈利且经营数十年的企业。
在这个视频中，我们探讨了日本最被忽视且根深蒂固的挑战之一：企业代际传承的困难。
这一波倒闭潮背后的真正原因是什么？它对日本及其他老龄化社会的未来意味着什么？
 
 
@miketacos9034
The irony is those hands-on family businesses would be more AI proof than most of the city tech jobs.
 
讽刺的是那些亲手经营的家族企业比大多数城市里的科技工作更能抵御人工智能的冲击。
 
@thelasttellurian
Working in my family business was the thing I feared most as a child (maybe because of my parents' dynamics), and it forced me to be self-sufficient just to not go back there. Actually my only drive and goal in life was not to work in my parents' shop, and I've succeeded in doing that. Now they are both gone and I miss them terribly.
 
小时候，我最害怕的就是在家族企业里工作（可能是因为我父母之间的关系），这迫使我变得自立，只为了不回到那个地方。其实，我人生的唯一动力和目标就是不去父母的店里工作，我成功做到了。现在他们都不在了，我非常想念他们。
 
@NightSentinel51
I work in and left my family's own business. My parents “left” the business to my姐妹 and me, but they constantly fought us on every business decision. They also guilt-trip us when they don’t get their way. The old employees are loyal to them and not to us, and make it clear to us. It was easy for me to leave since my sisters are still there, but I cannot imagine staying there until I die.
 
我在家族企业里工作过，后来离开了。父母把生意“交给”了我和我的姐妹们，但他们对每个商业决定都跟我们争吵。他们得不到想要的结果时，还会让我们感到内疚。老员工忠于他们而不是我们，这点他们表现得很清楚。因为我姐妹还在那儿，我离开很容易，但我无法想象在那儿待到死。
 
@ECOpocket
While we’re trying to escape the 9-to-5 grind, people in Japan are shutting down profitable businesses just because there’s no one to take over. Elders don’t trust the next generation or are so attached to the business, they’d rather let it die than hand it off. Honestly, that’s hard to believe, crazy. that mindset is what made Japan so unique… and now it’s part of the problem.
 
当我们努力逃离朝九晚五的苦差时，日本的人们却因为没人接班而关闭盈利的生意。老一辈不信任下一代，或者对生意太依恋，宁愿让它倒闭也不愿交出去。老实说，这太难以置信，太疯狂了。这种心态让日本独一无二……但现在它成了问题的一部分。
 
@yutashimpo
FYI, as a Japanese guy living in Japan (but grew up in the UK), I’ve been noticing a lot of things that feel, off. The quiet economic decline, the weak yen, rising cost of rice (which btw is now being replaced by stockpiled rice meant for animals. Like seriously?), and the increasing number of foreigners while our own population is shrinking. I got nothing against foreigners living here with good intent dont get me wrong, but the overall direction feels like Japan is being "soft-reset" without people noticing.
AI’s another big one. It’s cool tech, but it’s already taking jobs and most people don’t even realise it. There’s no real plan to adapt just people hoping things will “work out.” Also, not many young people want to take over their parents' family business anymore. Everyone's chasing trends and shiny new stuff, and we’re slowly losing the foundation that held us up.
Oh, and let’s talk about the English education system in Japan. It's a mess. People study English for years in school, but most can’t actually speak it. Why? Its because schools don’t teach you to speak, they just drill reading, writing, and listening for tests. Some Japanese English teachers can’t even speak proper English themselves. The irony, man. So even if people want to move abroad (like to Australia or Northern Europe for better pay), they struggle hard because they can’t communicate.
And yeah, most people don’t even question this stuff. We're raised to follow the group, avoid standing out, and just go with the flow. Anyone who thinks differently gets labeled “weird” or “negative.” It’s easier to just stay silent and scroll.
Add to that the rise of escapist stuff (from stress) adult content, host clubs, pachinko — people get hooked on short-term pleasures, end up drained, unmotivated, and broke. Not saying everyone is like this, but it’s a pattern, and it’s becoming normalised. TV, youtube spreading mixed info/misleading info or simply entertainment that distracts you and makes you stuck in a repeated patterned lifestyle that stops you from being productive is another factor but this is the same around the world I guess haha.
Being single is a thing now and theres nothing wrong with that but much of that mindset comes from the fear of not being able to raise a child (low income and high expectations from companies when you job hunt), being in freedom and living as you want avoiding arguments with partners or people who have a different perspective.
Sorry for the long rant. Im sure haters/trolls will react to my comment but I really CBA to reply. I just wish more people would wake up and start asking real questions and not what the media wants us to think, but what actually matters. Anyway, sending love to everyone reading this, wherever you’re from. Peace
 
顺便说一句，作为一个生活在日本（但在英国长大）的日本人，我注意到很多事情感觉不太对劲。悄无声息的经济衰退、日元疲软、大米价格上涨（顺便提一句，现在居然用原本给动物吃的储备米代替，真的是这样吗？），还有外国人数增加而我们自己的人口在减少。别误会，我对怀着善意生活在这儿的外国人没有任何意见，但整体方向感觉像是日本在不知不觉中被“软重启”。
人工智能也是个大问题。虽然技术很酷，但它已经在抢工作了，大多数人还没有意识到。没有真正的适应计划，人们只是希望事情“会自己解决”。还有，现在没有多少年轻人想接手父母的家族生意了，每个人都在追逐潮流和光鲜的新事物，我们正在慢慢失去支撑我们的基础。
哦，对了，说说日本的英语教育系统，简直是一团糟。人们在学校学了好几年英语，但大多数人根本不会说。为什么？因为学校不教你说，只为了考试而死记硬背阅读、写作和听力。有些日本的英语老师自己都说不好英语，这太讽刺了。所以，就算有人想移民国外（比如去澳大利亚或北欧找高薪工作），也因为不会沟通而艰难万分。
对，没错，大多数人甚至不质疑这些。我们被教育要随大流，别出风头，顺其自然。谁要是想法不同，就会被贴上“怪人”或“消极”的标签。保持沉默、刷手机更容易。
再加上逃避现实的东西（因为压力）——成人内容、男公关俱乐部、柏青哥——人们迷恋短期快感，结果精疲力尽、没有动力、还破产了。我不是说每个人都这样，但这是个趋势，而且正在被正常化。电视、YouTube传播杂乱或误导信息，或者纯粹的娱乐让你陷入重复的生活模式，阻碍你的生产力，这也是个因素，不过我想全世界都差不多吧，哈哈。
现在单身很常见，这没啥问题，但这种心态很大程度上是因为害怕养不起孩子（收入低，找工作时公司期望又高），还有追求自由、按自己想要的方式生活，避免与伴侣或不同观点的人争吵。
抱歉，吐槽太长了。我肯定会有喷子或键盘侠来怼我的评论，但我真的懒得回。我只希望更多人能醒过来，开始问真正的问题而不是媒体想让我们想的，而是真正重要的事。总之，送上爱给所有读到这儿的人，不管你来自哪儿。
 
@jeffpalo2186
I am one of the recipients of this SME. To make the story short, I inherited a small business from a Japanese owner who passed away due to COVID. I worked with him for a long time and I somehow knew how to run and to manage everything from talking to the suppliers, logistics etc. The immediate family took over and eventually sold the business. I made a lot of money after that but I was harassed and intimidated by them. haha. The funny thing was the FAMILY became HANDS ON and AVAILABLE to manage the business after my Japanese boss passed away.
He was alone, depressed and didnt have anybody from his family while grinding. But i did realize, people change if money is involved.
 
我是一个中小企业的继承者。长话短说，我从一位因新冠去世的日本老板那儿继承了一家小企业。我跟他工作了很久，多少知道怎么运营和管理，从跟供应商谈、物流等等。直系亲属接手后最终卖掉了生意。之后我赚了不少钱，但也被他们骚扰和恐吓，哈哈。有趣的是老板去世后，他的家人突然变得“亲力亲为”且“有空”来管理生意。
他生前孤单、抑郁，忙碌时家里没人帮他。但我意识到，一旦涉及钱，人就会变。
 
@ZZZZ-mkv
I feel like a lot of Japan's trouble could be eased if they would get very serious about banning unpaid overtime / long hours. Giving people a chance to enjoy some free time will help their health, stimulate the economy, and maybe even find a person to start a family with.
 
我觉得日本的很多问题都能通过严格禁止无偿加班和长时间工作得到缓解。给人们一些享受自由时间的机会，这样能改善他们的健康，刺激经济，甚至可能找到一个组建家庭的伴侣。
 
@DaimonAnimations
As a non Japanese but also a person who is in love with Japanese culture, it fills my heart with sadness that the future is bleak, I don't see A.I. beneficial in my eyes, I've only seen the downside of it, dehumanizing culture, making people lazy and its killing those who have skills. Art, or other type of skill. I feel like A.I. has become a double edge sword that might helps us progress by sacrificing our own skills.
 
作为一个非日本人但热爱日本文化的人，看到日本的未来如此黯淡，我心里很难过。我不觉得人工智能有什么好处，我只看到了它的弊端：让文化失去人性、使人变懒、扼杀有技能的人，比如艺术或其他技能。我觉得人工智能是把双刃剑，虽然可能推动进步，但牺牲了我们自己的技能。
 
@Taladar2003
Seems to me that this is what happens when people care so much about avoiding change and avoiding strangers that what they value so much dies out.
 
在我看来，当人们过于在意避免改变和避开陌生人时，他们珍视的东西就这样消亡了。
 
@silversurfer8237
The worst thing to do is to live in your parents dreams. Guaranteed to be miserable unless you have parents that are risk seeking and teach you how to manage risk.
 
最糟糕的事就是活在父母的梦想里，除非你的父母敢于冒险并教你如何管理风险，否则肯定会很痛苦。
 
@Hendlefe
A lot of these small businesses are profitable because the owners are working insane hours for little wage. Many of the owners discourage their children from taking on the family business because of how hard the work is. It's sad to see these beautiful small businesses go but they just can no longer exist in this modern Japan.
 
很多小企业之所以盈利，是因为老板疯狂加班却拿很少的工资。许多老板劝阻子女接手家族生意是因为工作太辛苦了。看到这些美好的小企业消失我很伤心，但它们在现代日本已经无法继续存在了。
 
@Razear
I can understand why Gen Z may be reluctant to inherit a family business if they're unwilling to make the requisite time commitment to keep it afloat, but wouldn't this be a privilege for a lot of kids to not have to worry about job seeking when they're basically handed a long-term position on a silver platter? And they wouldn't have to go through the educational pressure of excelling in school in order to market themselves in the corporate rat race.
For small businesses without an apparent heir, selling their company to the highest bidder (domestic or otherwise) is a way better outcome than seeing it go under... Better to swallow one's pride and take a nice paycheck than to dispense with a multi-generational legacy.
 
我能理解Z世代不愿接手家族生意，他们不想投入必要的时间来维持运营。但对很多年轻人来说，这难道不是一种特权吗？不用担心找工作，基本上是被直接端上一个长期职位的银盘子。他们也不用承受学业压力，为了在职场竞争中推销自己而拼命考高分。
对于没有明显继承人的小企业，把公司卖给出价最高的人（国内或其他）总比看着它倒闭好得多……咽下骄傲，拿一笔可观的支票，总比毁掉几代人的传承强。
 
@xxnike0629xx
Japan is one of those countries that has a culture that lives both in the future and in the past at the same time. Some things are very futuristic while other things they refuse to let go. That might be something that should be addressed if the longevity of the country is being threatened.
 
日本是那种文化同时活在未来和过去的国家，虽然有些东西非常未来主义，但有些东西他们拒绝放手。如果国家的长久生存受到威胁，这可能是个需要解决的问题。
 
@Sonyhamster
During a work trip I went to visit my friend in Itô. Once a thriving city by the sea known for its onsen resort, it was shocking to see that pretty much entire streets were derelict with so many empty, dilapidated shops. All there were left are panchinko shops, a few ice cream and grocery shops, as well as a few restaurants. And during my meetings at Azabudai Hills, all I saw were very old men doing business. Not a young person in sight.
 
出差时我去伊东市探望朋友。那里曾是靠海的繁华城市，以温泉胜地闻名，但看到几乎整条街都荒废了，空荡荡的破旧店铺让我震惊。剩下的只有柏青哥店、几家冰淇淋店、杂货店和几家餐馆。在麻布台之丘的会议上，我看到的都是很老的男人在做生意，一个年轻人都没瞧见。
 
@clashingwithsalik6457
just completed my highschool my father said you are not capable to inherit the bussiness therefore now i am going to pursue med school and i also want to shift and live in big cities or countries i am from tier 2 city in india
 
我刚读完高中，我父亲说我没能力继承生意，所以我现在要去读医学院，还想搬去大城市或国外生活。我来自印度的二线城市。
 
@HinaTwo
I really love these videos that are in full English. As much as I adore the street and regular interviews also, I’ve personally been in a recent state of never being able to actively look at my phone, only listen and occasionally glance, so it’s really hard to catch up on interesting topics when having to read subtitles. I’m glad Asian Boss is still trucking along. Been a viewer just about from the very beginning
 
我真的 挺喜欢这些全英文的视频。虽然我也爱看街头和普通采访，但最近我总是没法盯着手机看，只能听，偶尔瞟一眼，所以得读字幕的话，很难跟上有趣的话题。很高兴《亚洲老板》还在坚持做。从一开始我就差不多是观众了。
 
@DavidRamgobin
I think that in this current age of progress, where people speak on the threat of job loss from AI, these rural communities might see a resurgence, but I also think that it has to develop on the terms of the people who come in. If they want to preserve old traditions, that’s okay. I feel like that it won’t be the common situation if that kind of resurgence comes about.
 
在这个进步的时代，人们谈论人工智能导致的失业威胁，我觉得这些农村社区可能会有复兴，但我认为这得按照新来者的条件发展。如果他们想保留老传统，也没问题。我觉得如果真有这种复兴，保留传统不会是普遍情况。
 
@grownmantravels
I visited Japan last year, Tokyo and Kyoto…a superb experience.
I’m a small business owner here in the UK & hoped my nephew would possibly take over my business….but no, he wants to be an online creator of relationships advice…he’s 19 and lives with his mom.
 
去年我去了日本，包括东京和京都……体验超棒。
我在英国是个小企业主，我希望我侄子能接手我的生意……但没戏，他想做线上恋爱建议创作者。他才19岁，还跟他妈住一起。
 
@tartempion5414
Being "profitable" on paper doesn’t always mean the company or the owners are actually doing well financially or fairly compensating workers. Technically, you could work twice as many hours as a McDonald's employee but still not be able to pay yourself their paycheck. It is maybe "profitable" from a balance sheet point of view but the juice isn't worth the squeeze. I live in Tokyo and even here I am always surprise by the number of ghost shop in my area. Some of them look like relics from the past. I cannot imagine in the country side.
 
账面上“盈利”并不总意味着公司或老板真的有钱或者给员工的报酬公平。在技术上，你可能比麦当劳员工的工作时间多一倍，但还是付不起他们的薪水。从资产负债表看也许是“盈利”，但付出和回报不成正比。我生活在东京，在这儿我都常惊讶于附近空荡荡的“鬼店”的数量，有些店铺看起来像是过去的遗迹，难以想象乡下的情况。
 
@zodiacfml
exaggeration-drama. these small businesses I feel like self employment for artists, crafts, trades. as the ageing population retires, they are indeed going to abandon these self employed businesses. add to the ageing population is draining the rural areas of people, as they migrate into cities. no wonder there is a spike of small businesses closing down.
 
夸张了点，像是在演戏。我觉得像是艺术家、手工艺者、技工们的自营职业。随着人口老龄化，退休的老一辈确实会放弃这些个体生意。再加上老龄化让农村人口流失，人们都往城市迁，没啥奇怪的，小企业倒闭潮自然就来了。
 
@KarthikSoun
As a Indian I have been exporting to Japan past 15 yrs now. I love the Japanese family that buys from us. This obsession of US mentality to be No1 is insanity. There is nothing wrong if population shrinks. People will have more, they might rebound next century after a brief dip and lose those who don't want families. It might be a Darwinian shift in their society, replacing People who don't want to go on. I know a lady who was the only child but she herself had 6 kids. We don't know what events nature causes for people to grow.
 
作为一个印度人，我过去15年一直在向日本出口，我很喜欢跟我们做生意的那个日本家庭。美国人非要争第一的执念太疯狂了。人口减少没啥问题，人们会拥有更多资源，可能下个世纪短暂下降后会反弹并淘汰那些不想有家庭的人。这可能是他们社会的达尔文式转变，取代那些不想继续的人。我认识一个独生女，她自己生了6个孩子。我们不知道自然会引发什么事件让人口增长。
 
@allenchen7585
Not as dire but the same thing is happening in America. My father dealt with this and his father. His small, rural town is now a ghost town but his father had a restaurant and owned a couple buildings on Main Street. Everybody asked my dad, “when are you taking all this over?” And he’d say “Never” — he wanted nothing to do with any of it and nobody could comprehend it. He ended up getting a government job in a town about 30 minutes away. He wanted a job where there were defined hours and no stress after work. I think he actually hated the restaurant and rentals because their whole lives revolved around them and his father wasn’t home a ton. People just couldn’t comprehend how he couldn’t “take over the family business” It wasn’t just my father but my entire region is full of ghost rural towns. If you want to take over the business then that’s great! But so many people found it suffocating to be expected from birth to take over the business and, as society changed, many in the baby boomer generation decided to leave these areas. A lot of people would love to live in small towns and revitalize them but the strong, traditional cultural expectations are just too much for most and while it preserves things it also pushes so many people away.
 
没那么严重，美国也在发生同样的事，我的父亲和他的父亲都在面对过这个。他的家乡的小镇现在是个鬼镇，但他的父亲在主街上开了一家餐馆，还拥有几栋楼。每个人都问我爸：“你什么时候接手这些？”他说：“我永远不接。”——他完全不想沾边，没有人能理解。他最后在30分钟车程外的镇上找了份政府工作。他想要一份工作时间固定、下班没压力的工作。我觉得他其实讨厌那家餐馆和出租房，因为他们的生活全绕着这些转，他的父亲也不常在家。人们就是无法理解他为什么不“接管家族生意”。不只是我的父亲，整个区域到处都是荒废的农村小镇。想接手生意当然好！但很多人觉得从出生就被期望接管生意太压抑，随着社会变迁，很多婴儿潮一代的人决定离开这些地方。虽然也有很多人想生活在小镇，振兴它们，但强烈的传统文化期待对大多数人来说太沉重，虽然它保留了某些东西，却也推走了很多人。
 
@yumsy37
While I understand the reasons for these changes and the needs of the young people I still mourn the loss of this legacy. This isn't a Japan problem but a high income country problem as it has hit Italy and overall Europe as hard. This is the loss of profitable businesses that my father and his generation ran and the pride they had in their work. It is knowing that the reliance that we had on their products and/or services, that high quality, high reliability and high value can no longer be taken for granted.
I also understand the reasons for people to not do those roles too. Being a small business owner is not for everyone or for a majority of people. There is the stress, paperwork, staff and actually doing the work. This does not even take into account economic down or upturns.
 
虽然我理解这些变化的原因和年轻人的需求，但我还是为这种传承的丧失感到悲哀。这不是日本独有的问题，高收入国家也有，比如意大利和整个欧洲同样深受影响。这意味着我的父亲和他们那一代人经营的盈利企业以及他们对工作的骄傲的消失。我知道我们曾经依赖他们的产品或服务，那种高质量、高可靠性和高价值不再是理所当然的了。
我也明白人们不愿从事这些角色的原因。做小企业主不适合每个人，也不是大多数人的选择。有压力、文书工作、员工管理，还要实际干活，这还没算上经济起伏的影响。
 
@edkwon
Thank for an excellent breakdown of what's going on in Japan from an inside perspective. While I think you're right about the increasing percentage of foreigners, I think it's going to be the only way to keep the working population afloat in the near future
 
感谢你从内部视角精彩分析了日本的现状。虽然我觉得你说的外国人的人数增加是对的，但这可能是未来保持劳动人口的唯一办法。
 
@ndwolfwood09
Business in Japan that profitable shutting down, probably because no one to take over... What I love about Japanese restaurants and retail is their service and craftsmanship! They're masters of their craft! But, soon no one can take over and we will get mid-level products....
 
日本盈利的生意在倒闭，可能是因为没人接手……我爱日本餐厅和零售的服务和工艺！他们是自己领域的大师！但很快没人接管了，我们就只能得到中等水平的产品了。