15 Million Yen Unpaid, Entangled in Lawsuits! The Survival Strategy of a Man Who Saw Hell on the Battlefield of Entrepreneurship, Filled with Fierce Troubles and Betrayals. Book 'How a Former Defense Official Started 7 Companies with Online Game Friends' Released Today!
Cross Media Publishing Co., Ltd. today released the book 'How a Former Defense Official Started 7 Companies with Online Game Friends.' This book reveals the survival strategies of an author who started a business with a friend met through online gaming, overcame numerous difficulties including 15 million yen in unpaid fees, and achieved success. It's a guide for aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 1, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 22:31 (10h 59m after Collected)
Cross Media Publishing Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Koichiro Kobayakawa), which publishes mainly business and practical books, released the book 'How a Former Defense Official Started 7 Companies with Online Game Friends' today, May 1, 2026.
This book is a work in which the author, a former defense official who became independent and started a business at the age of 30 after being invited by a friend he met through online gaming, looks back on the numerous troubles he experienced after starting his business. It reveals the realities of entrepreneurship that can only be told by someone who has hit rock bottom, and practical wisdom for overcoming crises and achieving success. The content is recommended for those aiming to start a business and those currently struggling in the turbulent waters of management.
◆Related URLs (Our website, etc.)
https://cm-publishing.co.jp/books/9784295411871/
Amazon https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4295411876/
Rakuten Books https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/18516339/
●An Encounter in an Online Game Changed His Destiny
The world is full of books that talk about the glamour of success, such as skyrocketing annual income and gaining freedom if you start a business. However, surprisingly few books reveal the brutal reality behind entrepreneurship.
The author, a former defense official, started his career at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori. To escape loneliness in a place far from his hometown of Ibaraki, where he had no friends or acquaintances, he started playing online games.
Through the computer screen, the author met Mr. Akao, who would become his lifelong partner. Mr. Akao, at the young age of 20, was already working as a sole proprietor, making a living with his own skills. The author, shocked by his free-spirited way of life unconstrained by organizations, deepened his interaction with Mr. Akao and began to yearn for an 'unknown outside world' that was the antithesis of the Self-Defense Forces.
Eventually, when Mr. Akao invited him to 'work together,' the author's heart was greatly swayed.
Should he enjoy the stability of a civil servant and continue working in the back office of national defense? Or should he jump into an uncertain but passionate and free world?
After much deliberation, the author accepted Mr. Akao's earnest persuasion and retired from his defense official position at the age of 30. He left the Self-Defense Forces, where he had been promoted to an executive, and joined Mr. Akao in a game development project in China.
●The Collapse of the China Project. The Days of Rock Bottom Begin
The author, who abandoned the stable position of a defense official and ventured into activities in China, did not have a clear vision for entrepreneurship or brilliant dreams. It was more like a spontaneous trip, invited by his partner, Mr. Akao. Moreover, the China project unexpectedly collapsed in just six months.
Returning to Japan, the two rented a cheap apartment in Fukuoka for 25,000 yen a month and barely made ends meet by getting small jobs from Mr. Akao's acquaintances. This was the beginning of a long period of subcontracting hell and debt. Frustrated by a reality he couldn't control, his pride from his defense official days gradually crumbled.
Swelling debt, client betrayals, 15 million yen unpaid, multiple layers of subcontracting, unreasonable contracts, lawsuits...
After that, unbelievable troubles continued to strike the two. In the process of overcoming them, the author honed his skills as a manager. Eventually, the path to 100 million yen in annual sales became visible. How did the two achieve success?
●Strategies for the Weak to Survive, Which Can Only Be Told by Someone Who Has Seen Hell
In the business world, it is often said that outstanding ideas, abundant capital, or strong personal connections are conditions for success. However, the author started his entrepreneurial journey from a state of being truly disadvantaged, possessing none of these.
In this book, the author introduces nine strategies for the weak to survive, which he has internalized as practical wisdom through overcoming numerous troubles:
① Manage the company with two people
② Don't leave troubles to others
③ Borrow money from financial institutions
④ Negotiation techniques with business partners
⑤ Work ethic to gain trust
⑥ The skill of choosing people and projects learned from failures
⑦ Correct risk hedging methods
⑧ Overcoming adversity with a steel mentality
⑨ Go out and meet people
These contents are packed with useful information as a 'vaccination' for those aiming to start a business to avoid stepping on the same landmines, and as a 'specific remedy' for those currently struggling in the turbulent waters of management to get through tomorrow.
This is a recommended book for all business people, showing how to navigate the 'darkness' that everyone gets involved in as long as they continue to challenge themselves in entrepreneurship and company management.
This book is a work in which the author, a former defense official who became independent and started a business at the age of 30 after being invited by a friend he met through online gaming, looks back on the numerous troubles he experienced after starting his business. It reveals the realities of entrepreneurship that can only be told by someone who has hit rock bottom, and practical wisdom for overcoming crises and achieving success. The content is recommended for those aiming to start a business and those currently struggling in the turbulent waters of management.
◆Related URLs (Our website, etc.)
https://cm-publishing.co.jp/books/9784295411871/
Amazon https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4295411876/
Rakuten Books https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/18516339/
●An Encounter in an Online Game Changed His Destiny
The world is full of books that talk about the glamour of success, such as skyrocketing annual income and gaining freedom if you start a business. However, surprisingly few books reveal the brutal reality behind entrepreneurship.
The author, a former defense official, started his career at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori. To escape loneliness in a place far from his hometown of Ibaraki, where he had no friends or acquaintances, he started playing online games.
Through the computer screen, the author met Mr. Akao, who would become his lifelong partner. Mr. Akao, at the young age of 20, was already working as a sole proprietor, making a living with his own skills. The author, shocked by his free-spirited way of life unconstrained by organizations, deepened his interaction with Mr. Akao and began to yearn for an 'unknown outside world' that was the antithesis of the Self-Defense Forces.
Eventually, when Mr. Akao invited him to 'work together,' the author's heart was greatly swayed.
Should he enjoy the stability of a civil servant and continue working in the back office of national defense? Or should he jump into an uncertain but passionate and free world?
After much deliberation, the author accepted Mr. Akao's earnest persuasion and retired from his defense official position at the age of 30. He left the Self-Defense Forces, where he had been promoted to an executive, and joined Mr. Akao in a game development project in China.
●The Collapse of the China Project. The Days of Rock Bottom Begin
The author, who abandoned the stable position of a defense official and ventured into activities in China, did not have a clear vision for entrepreneurship or brilliant dreams. It was more like a spontaneous trip, invited by his partner, Mr. Akao. Moreover, the China project unexpectedly collapsed in just six months.
Returning to Japan, the two rented a cheap apartment in Fukuoka for 25,000 yen a month and barely made ends meet by getting small jobs from Mr. Akao's acquaintances. This was the beginning of a long period of subcontracting hell and debt. Frustrated by a reality he couldn't control, his pride from his defense official days gradually crumbled.
Swelling debt, client betrayals, 15 million yen unpaid, multiple layers of subcontracting, unreasonable contracts, lawsuits...
After that, unbelievable troubles continued to strike the two. In the process of overcoming them, the author honed his skills as a manager. Eventually, the path to 100 million yen in annual sales became visible. How did the two achieve success?
●Strategies for the Weak to Survive, Which Can Only Be Told by Someone Who Has Seen Hell
In the business world, it is often said that outstanding ideas, abundant capital, or strong personal connections are conditions for success. However, the author started his entrepreneurial journey from a state of being truly disadvantaged, possessing none of these.
In this book, the author introduces nine strategies for the weak to survive, which he has internalized as practical wisdom through overcoming numerous troubles:
① Manage the company with two people
② Don't leave troubles to others
③ Borrow money from financial institutions
④ Negotiation techniques with business partners
⑤ Work ethic to gain trust
⑥ The skill of choosing people and projects learned from failures
⑦ Correct risk hedging methods
⑧ Overcoming adversity with a steel mentality
⑨ Go out and meet people
These contents are packed with useful information as a 'vaccination' for those aiming to start a business to avoid stepping on the same landmines, and as a 'specific remedy' for those currently struggling in the turbulent waters of management to get through tomorrow.
This is a recommended book for all business people, showing how to navigate the 'darkness' that everyone gets involved in as long as they continue to challenge themselves in entrepreneurship and company management.