About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
What it takes to be a good company in Japan?

Ina Food Industry: To Make a Good Company There is a company in Japan with the motto, “Let’s make a good company.”  It’s so simple a child can understand it, but what exactly comprises a “good company?”  The explanation continues thusly. A good company is not found in performance related numbers, but in a company […]

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About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
Japanese culture of encouraging employees with unrealistic goals

Japanese culture of encouraging employees with unrealistic goals The Project Is a “Go” Fred is an American engineering manager at the US subsidiary of a successful Japanese manufacturing company. He is faced with the challenge of kicking off a new project. “We had all worked hard on the concept phase, and were happy to hear […]

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About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
Why did you choose your current company?

<Why did you choose your current company?> 1. (1) Job content 2. (2) Industry type 3. (3) The company’s working conditions and atmosphere/environment 4. (4) The company’s welfare program 5. (5) Salary 6. (7) The company’s financial stability 7. (8) Potential of the company to grow, etc. 8. (10) Commuting convenience 9. (6) Good co-workers […]

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About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
How to Write Email on Business in Japan

Formality and politeness are important for e-mail in Japanese business By Patricia Pringle Not Getting a Timely Response Recently, I was working with some American engineers who were collaborating on a development project with Japanese engineers working for the same company. Bob came by with an email in his hand. “I am going to have […]

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About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
Japanese Business Culture: “Nemawashi”

Japanese Business Culture: “Nemawashi” By Patricia Pringle What Is the Purpose of a Meeting? Henry Jones was hired at a large Japanese manufacturer after working for an American company for 10 years. He immediately observed that they did not use a type of tracking software that was standard in the industry. He suggested to his […]

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About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
Japan as a “High Context” Culture

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About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
Negative Feedback Common in Japan

Feedback in a Japanese Company By Patricia Pringle American Engineer Sent to Japan for Training Joe was a factory engineer at a Japanese company in the United States. After working for two years at their factory in the Midwest, he was offered a chance to go to Japan for six months to be trained at […]

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About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
What is your job-related worry?

What is your job-related worry? 1. Human relations2. Quality of job3. Volume of work4. Company future5. Suitable job6. Pay raise and promotion7. Life after retirement8. Job security9. Personnel shuffl e10. Accidents and mishapsSource: The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (conducted in 2019)

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About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
When do you realize you are Japanese?

When do you realize you are Japanese? 1. Drinking miso soup and feeling happy2. Soaking in a hot spring3. Drinking Japanese tea and feeling happy4. Smelling tatami mats and feeling relaxed5. Eating tsukemono (pickles) and becominghappy6. Sleeping in a futon (Japanese bed) andfeeling relieved7. Getting excited at a game played by theJapanese National Team8. Thinking […]

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About Japanese companies and Japanese business people
The ideal job in Japan for Japanese people

The ideal job 1. Stable income 2. Fun and exciting 3. Makes good use of my skills 4. No risk of ruining my health 5. Positive infl uence for the world 6. No worry of losing the job 7. High income 8. Not sure 9. Undecided 10. Other factors Source: Cabinet Office, Government of Japan […]

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