Charlotte Kennedy-Takahashi, as much at home in Tokyo's American Club as her local "izakaya," refutes any description of herself as the first non-Japanese woman to start her own business in Japan. But she does acknowledge herself as a pioneer, heading the first company founded by a foreigner to be granted the status of "kabushiki gaisha."
"People told me I hadn't a chance. They said a 'gaijin' woman couldn't make it in Japan," she recalls. Well, they were wrong.
One moment she's as tough as they come, using vocabulary reminiscent of a military strategist. The next, leaning intimately over the table to stress that she is as honest as possible in her message of integrity and commitment.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.