ITAMAE aims to build a community of young challengers across the country and build a foundation to grow the innovators of tomorrow. | COURTESY OF ITAMAE

Tokyo is readying for its annual startup convention, SusHi Tech Tokyo — starting Monday — to bring together entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers from across the globe. But Asia’s largest startup event also highlights a quiet shift taking place among Japan’s younger generation, where in a country long associated with preference for stability and traditional career paths, an increasing number of students are turning toward entrepreneurship.

At the center of the shift is ITAMAE, a student-led initiative working alongside SusHi Tech Tokyo, which brings together students across Japan to organize events around the convention to inspire other young people in Japan about entrepreneurial possibilities.

Short for Innovative Technology Academic Maestro and in line with the sushi-themed naming of the convention — with SusHi Tech standing for Sustainable High…