Departments (and smaller divisions) in Japanese companies are made up of several ka (kah) or sections, consisting of as few as six or eight individuals to as many as two or three dozen. The head or chief of a section is a kachō. Again using military terms, a kachō is like a squad leader… and in business in Japan as in war it is the kachō who are on the frontlines, who, in fact, oversee virtually all of the administrative work that is done in companies.
The directors, the vice-presidents and the buchō in Japanese companies play important roles, but it is the kachō who see that the work gets done. It is therefore vital for foreigners who want to do business with or are already doing business with Japanese companies to develop and maintain close relations with all of the kachō concerned with the product or service. They can determine if a project succeeds or fails.
Part of the etiquette of developing and nurturing good relations with section chiefs is to invite them and one or two of their top staff out for an evening of drinking and dining. In the natural order of things they will one day become a buchō and it pays to have had good relations with them for several years.
“Root Talk” in a Japanese Company
根回し Nemawashi (nay-mah-wah-she)
The literal meaning of nemawashi is “revolving or turning the roots” of a plant being transplanted. As is well-known the roots of a plant in a box or pot become balled up as the plant grows. In the transplanting process the roots must be spread out for the plant to grow properly.
This concept has become a key word in Japan’s business vocabulary, referring to the details of a newly proposed project or relationship with another company being spread out among individuals in the company for them to discuss; and to the “lobbying” actions of individuals within companies who are advocating or opposing something. New projects proposed by outsiders invariably go through the nemawashi process.
The possibility of a project being accepted can be significantly enhanced by the person who proposed the project doing some nemawashi of his or her own with individuals in the company who would be responsible for its implementation—the buchō and the kachō. The etiquette—or process if you will—of developing a relationship with Japanese companies invariably includes a period of internal nemawashi that can take from weeks to months.
The Imperative of Trust
信用 Shin’yō (sheen-yohh)
In pre-modern Japan there was no body of laws that established or controlled business practices similar to what we are now familiar with. The national laws that did exist were decreed by the shogunate government and were primarily designed to ensure the survival of the government and the feudal system of fiefs and lords.
Fiefs, however, did have a system of laws the pertained to business, but in both essence and practice business relationships in Japan were based on shin’yō, or “trust,” between the parties concerned.
Since the only thing that the parties could depend upon was unqualified trust, developing the feelings of trust to the point that the parties were bonded was a lengthy and detailed process.
Still today Japanese businesspeople are more concerned with shin’yō than with laws, and establishing an acceptable level of trust is their first goal in considering new business relationships. To succeed in Japan foreign businesspeople must give the same high priority to developing and maintaining shin’yō-based relationships with their suppliers and customers.
Whether or not one follows proper etiquette in dealing with a Japanese company is taken as a sign of his or her trustworthiness.
When “Difficult” Means “No”
難しい Muzukashii (muu-zuu-kah-she-e)
The very common word muzukashii means hard, difficult and troublesome... and it is also a “cultural code word” that has an altogether different meaning. When Japanese businesspeople are presented with projects in which they don’t have the slightest interest—and this happens by the thousands annually—they will almost never say “no, thank you” outright.
They will listen politely enough, often nodding (which doesn’t mean acceptance of anything, it just means they are listening), but in the end they will typically say the project would be muzukashii… usually with a strained and uncomfortable look on their face. This means “no, it’s not going to happen, forget it.”
Unless the foreign presenter is aware of this meaning of muzukashii he or she will also typically repeat the main points of the presentation, after saying it would be worth it even if it was difficult, and then leave, saying they look forward to hearing from the company. It is deep-seated Japanese etiquette to use such circumlocutions rather than refuse or decline anything directly.
Beware of Hidden Meanings!
善処します Zensho Shimasu (zen-show she-mahss)
This phrase, which means “I will take proper measures; I will do my best,” has caused foreign businesspeople (also diplomats and the heads of foreign governments) who do not know the hidden meaning of the phrase more loss of face and more trouble than can be imagined.
Generally, there is no sense of real commitment or promise in this comment. It is almost always a ploy to avoid saying “no” outright and causing the petitioning party to get upset and/or lose face. Once this comment has been made at the end of presentations, the Japanese side seldom if ever takes any action. Again, this is an example of Japanese etiquette that is designed to avoid upsetting anyone in face-to-face confrontations.
The Power of Cultural Intuition
直感 Chokkan (choke-kahn)
One of the first lessons that foreign businesspeople should learn about Japanese culture is the role played by chokkan, “intuition, intuitive power,” in business and all other relationships. The natural intuitive powers of the Japanese—those common to people everywhere—have been dramatically enhanced by their culture, to the point that often they cannot be separated, and in many cases they take precedence over rational or logical thinking based on facts.
The Japanese have a special word that refers specifically to the use of their combined cultural wisdom and native intuition: 腹芸 haragei (hahrah-gay-e), which translates as “the art of the stomach.” In virtually all of the occasions when foreigners cannot understand the rationale of business decisions made by the Japanese the answer lies in their chokkan.
Most of Japan’s leading tycoons—Idemitsu, Matsushita, Honda, etc.— credit their amazing success to guidance provided by their chokkan.
The principle of haragei in business in Japan accounts for much of the emotional content of Japanese etiquette.
The Power of Tradition
方 Kata (kah-tah)
This is one of the most important words in the Japanese language, and is the key to understanding all of the traditional and most of the modern behavior of the Japanese. Kata means “form” and the physical process of doing things.
In Japan’s traditional culture there was a specific kata for virtually everything the Japanese did: yari-kata (way of doing things/working); tabekata (way of eating); nomi-kata (way of drinking); hanashi-kata (way of talking); aruki-kata (way of walking); yomi-kata (way of reading); kakikata (way of writing), and so on. There was also a specific kata for all forms
