BEPPU, Japan -- A rusty hot-spring town in rural Japan is emerging as an unlikely hub for Asian business talent, spawning startups and workers who are ready to trot the globe on behalf of Japanese companies.
The transformation of Beppu, on the southern island of Kyushu, exemplifies a change that is gradually advancing at the national level. As Asia rises as a global center of growth, Japan aims to harness that energy and secure its own future as an economic power by attracting young international workers and innovators.