Doing Business in Japan

Copyright c JETRO 1999 All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, by mimeograph, photocopy, or any other means, nor stored in any information retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publishers. (For Distribution in the U.S.) This material is distributed by the U.S. office of JETRO (Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco) on behalf of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Tokyo, Japan. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

Misunderstandings caused by different communication styles often lead to lost business opportunities for foreign businesspeople dealing with Japan. This booklet is intended to fill such gaps. We asked Dr. Ernest Gundling, an intercultual specialist, to be the author to leverage on his extensive research and hands-on experience in this field. We sincerely hope that this booklet will help businesspeople from all over the world be successful in doing business with Japan. International Communication Department JETRO

It is a pleasure to be able to offer this introduction to business communication with Japanese. I hope that each reader will find useful tips for his or her work, and quickly build bridges towards strong mutual understanding. The personal and professional rewards of working with Japanese counterparts are well worth the effort. Dr. Ernest Gundling Managing Director Meridian Resources Associates Special thanks to: Ruth Sasaki (research and writing) David Dickey (research and writing) Masaaki Aoki (illustrations)

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Communicating with Japanese in Business
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS OF JAPANESE COMMUNICATION STYLE a. Group Orientation b. Hierarchy c. Form and Formality d. Situational Behavior e. High Context Communication 3. COMMUNICATION GAPS CAUSED BY BUSINESS CUSTOMS a. Decision-Making b. Contracts c. Information-Sharing d. Customer Relations e.