International Round-the-World Business Trip ? Part 8
This is Part 8 of my Round-the-World business trip.
Part 1?started with the USA and UK segments.
Part 2?was about Qatar and the UAE.
Part 3?covered Mumbai & New Delhi, India.
Part 4?took us throughThailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
Part 5?discussed Laos, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Part 6?was dedicated to Shanghai
Part 7?took us to South Korea
This week, my International Round the World Business Trip takes me to Japan. ?It was only? few years ago when I took this trip and, at that time the?US & Japan were the #1 and #2?strongest economies in the world but China was beginning to overtake Japan as #2.
Japan ? Tsunami Recovery, Geography, Size and Population
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The Tsunami of March 2011 was the worst disaster to hit Japan since WWII with more than 21,000 people killed or missing. Apart from the horrific impact on its people and infrastructure, the impact on the economy of Japan was also disastrous. The Japanese spirit shone through and the progress made to clean up the towns and villages that were destroyed, has been remarkable.
The Government started to focus on re-building its economy and business and later in 2011, Japan entered into two significant business and trade agreements.
The first, on October 1, 2011, was the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which was signed by eight partners, including the USA. More Countries and Economic Regions, including the EU, will be joining this initiative that will eventually become the highest standard multilateral agreement achievement to enforce Intellectual Property (IP) rights.
The picture above shows Ambassador Sapiro signing the agreement in Tokyo with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast in the background.
The second was in November, 2011 in Hawaii, when Canada and Japan agreed to join what will become the largest American Trade Deal with nine Asia-Pacific nations aiming to reach a Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership by the end of 2012.
Geographically, Japan is a country of islands. The four main ones from North to South are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Honshu is the ?mainland? on which is the capital of the country; Tokyo. In the US, perhaps the best known Japanese island is Okinawa, which has 14 US Military bases that house almost 70% of the 40,000 US forces in Japan.
Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands, which is a chain that is some 620 miles long and extends from 380 miles southwest of Kyushu to Taiwan. There are about 3,000 islands, most very small, in the archipelago. Okinawa itself consists of 160 islands covering a distance of more than 350 miles.
Tokyo Metropolis is the world?s most populous metropolis with an estimated population of 35 million. This accounts for approximately 27% of the population of Japan. The city of Tokyo itself has a population of approx 13 million, which is fewer than 10% of the population of 126.5 million.
To put it all in perspective, the total area of Japan, including all the islands, is slightly less than the size of California but the population of CA is 29.5% of that of Japan.
Japan ? Business Culture & Etiquette:
I have flown to Japan many times and first have to document my experiences from landing at Narita Airport to arriving at my downtown hotel ? usually the Hilton in Shinjuku. The whole process has always been one of efficiency, incredible cleanliness, courtesy and speed.
White gloved baggage handlers have your luggage neatly laid out by the time you arrive at baggage collection and the customs officials?are courteous and professional. I prefer to take the JR Narita Express to Shinjuku Station and the overall experience is amazing.
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Much has been written and discussed about business culture and etiquette in Japan and if you want to be successful in developing long term business relations with Japanese businesspeople then remember the old saw ?when in Rome, do as the Romans do.? Please learn about Japanese business and social cultures and etiquette because it is key to your success. Social mores are very important in Japan because you may be invited to socialize with people in the company at different levels.
Japanese business culture is different to those of the USA or Europe but, if you learn and respect their culture, you will find that Japanese businesspeople have a strong sense of loyalty to partners and/or vendors they trust. This, in turn, often leads to stable, long-term, business relationships.
While bowing is the traditional greeting in Japan, the younger business generation and those who are more used to working with international guests and clients, are just as likely to shake hands with you. Let them extend the hand to you first but consider that the Japanese handshake is soft and limp compared to what you may be used to so resist the tendency to grip hard.
Don?t assume that because a person smiles, they are happy. In Japan, a smile can convey many emotions other than happiness including; embarrassment, disappointment and even sadness. ?In many Western cultures, eye contact is considered important. Sales trainers tell US salespeople to maintain eye contact. In Japan, it is considered rude and Japanese businesspeople are likely to feel you are staring and it can make them uncomfortable and look away.
If you find yourself faced with silence, don?t break the silence because it could ruin your negotiation. Silence is important and very often is a negotiation ploy. As The Tremeloes (UK) and The Four Seasons (US) sang ?Silence is Golden? so remember that when faced with that situation.
In Japan people are aware of non-verbal communication so it is important to pay attention to or take into consideration another?s needs, called in Japanese ?ki-wo-tsukau.?? So what may be seen to be non-communication in western culture is seen as communication in Japanese society.
Finally, consider the weather when planning your trip. While weather can vary a lot in Japan, most businesspeople go to Tokyo as the prime place for business. The rainy season ? tsuyu ? is typically in June and July. August is hot and humid and the Typhoon season is at its? peak during August and September.? October is one of the more pleasant months and if you want to see the Fall/Autumn colors, they tend to peak in November.
I ended my blog about South Korea with a snow covered Temple and leave you on this one with a snow covered building in a region famous for traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old.
For more information about international business cultures, etiquette and international business development, contact:
david.keenan@lafayette-consulting.com
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Source: http://lafayette-consulting.com/2012/02/thirteen-international-business-cultures-in-26-days-part-8/
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