Business Customs in Japan
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When doing business in Japan, foreign businesspeople should follow certain customs if they wish to be as effective as possible. Experts have put together the following guidelines:
- Always try to arrange for a formal introduction to any person or company with which you want to do business. These introductions should come from someone whose position is at least as high as that of the person whom you want to meet or from someone who has done a favor for this person. Let the host pick the subjects to discuss. One topic to be avoided is World War II.
- If in doubt, bring a translator along with you. For example, the head of Osaka’s $7 billion international airport project tells the story of a U.S. construction company president who became indignant when he discovered that the Japanese project head could not speak English. By the same token, you should not bring along your lawyer, because this implies a lack of trust.
- Try for a thorough personalization of all business relationships. The Japanese trust those with whom they socialize and come to know more than they do those who simply are looking to do business. Accept afterhours invitations. However, a rollicking night out on the town will not necessarily lead to signing the contract to your advantage the next morning.
- Do not deliver bad news in front of others, and if possible, have your second-in-command handle this chore. Never cause Japanese managers to lose face by putting them in a position of having to admit failure or say they do not know something that they should know professionally.
- How business is done is often as important as the results. Concern for tradition, for example, is sometimes more important than concern for profit. Do not appeal solely to logic, because in Japan, emotional considerations often are more important than facts.
- The Japanese often express themselves in a vague and ambiguous manner, in contrast to the specific language typically used in the United States. A Japanese who is too specific runs the risk of being viewed as rudely displaying superior knowledge. The Japanese avoid independent or individual action, and they prefer to make decisions based on group discussions and past precedent. The Japanese do not say no in public, which is why foreign businesspeople often take away the wrong impression.
