One Akiyama thrived in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of finance for 18 years, working as a U.S. government bond trader for several brokerages in Tokyo and New York. Until about a year ago.
Something about Wall Street-style capitalism -- where income is the only gauge of one's worth -- started to make her uncomfortable.
"It was good that everyone was given access to fair competition, regardless of nationality, age or gender," Akiyama, 42, said. "But when you push (capitalism) too far, some start cheating or trying to bring down rivals to churn out profits. Those people didn't last long, and nobody knows what they're doing now."