Global Business Culture – Japan

Punctuality is the key to success when doing business with Japanese.

Ms. A has made an appointment with a Japanese client. She knows that the Japanese value punctuality and so rushed out to the appointment in the morning. Ms. A arrived 30 minutes early and patiently waited for her client and when her Japanese client appeared, Ms. A started a conversation by stating that she had arrived 30 minutes before the appointment. However, the Japanese client was startled and told Ms. A that she should’ve rearranged the appointment.

When doing business with Japanese clients, it is recommended to arrive at the venue prior to the appointment time because of the Japanese emphasis on punctuality. The Japanese are very conscious of any slight to their peers—real or perceived—so in instances such as the example above they would feel horrible about their own behavior. If the counterpart has arrived at the venue too early, this could cause the Japanese client to feel as though he made his counterpart wait for too long. Arriving 5 to 10 minutes early is suggested.

Business in the Japan DOs and DON'Ts

DOs

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  Humble yourself when interacting with Japanese partners. In general, it is better to say ‘Thank you for allowing me to do ________’ instead of  ‘I’m glad that I could do ________’ when expressing gratitude.

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  Prepare a company brochure or a fact sheet to introduce your company during business meetings. Japanese partners are keen on their counterparts’ reputation based on size and performance. So it is a plus to make your Japanese client aware of the company’s size, successes, and financial status.

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  Familiarize yourself with ‘Japanese English’ for better communication with them. Japanese- style English is often used in casual conversation and features many loanwords.

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  Visit Japanese partners multiple times and have as many conversations as possible to build a strong relationship. Japanese will determine contract clauses depending on how trustworthy their partners are.

DON’Ts

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  Do not call anyone by their first names unless you are close friends with them. In Japan, people usually call their friends using their first names but apart from this situation, it is important to add さん(San) after the name to show respect.

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  Avoid using だいじょうぶです(Daijobu desu), meaning ‘It’s okay’ during business meetings. Japanese have very high standards and use that expression when everything is perfect.

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  When having business meals do not move dishes and pierce food with chopsticks or place them on top of your bowl.

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  Do not give gifts like handkerchiefs and knives as they symbolize the renouncement of a relationship. When giving gifts, make sure the number of gifts is not tallied up to 4 or 9 as these numbers represent death and agony respectively.

Hanwha Affiliates in Japan

Hanwha companies in Japan include Hanwha Techwin, Hanwha Chemical, Hanwha Total Petrochemical, Hanwha Q CELLS, Hanwha Life, and Hanwha Hotels & Resorts. These six companies operate 6 offices across the country in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Nagasaki.