Hidekazu Yokoyama has spent three decades building a thriving logistics business in snowy Hokkaido, an area that provides much of the Japan¡¯s milk.

Last year, he decided to give it all away.

It was a radical solution for a problem that has become increasingly common in Japan, the world¡¯s grayest society. As the country¡¯s birthrate has plummeted and its population has grown older, the average age of business owners has risen to around 62. Nearly 60% of the country¡¯s businesses report that they have no plan for what comes next.