Get Japanese Business Concepts You Should Know - Tokyo ...

Japan is known for having a traditional, formal, and very ritualistic approach to conducting business which demands a focus on detail, consensus building and a conservative outward manner.

As a code of conduct for daily work, there are Seven Principles: contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability and gratitude.

Kaizen is an approach to creating continuous improvement based on the idea that small, ongoing positive changes can reap significant improvements. Typically, it is based on cooperation and commitment and stands in contrast to approaches that use radical or top-down changes to achieve transformation.

Kaizen is a Japanese business philosophy that focuses on gradually improving productivity and making a work environment more efficient. Kaizen supports change from any employee at any time. Kaizen translates to change for the better or continuous improvement.

While still standing, you should politely hand a business card over with two hands, and receive one in return. A slight bow as a form of respect when exchanging is usually performed. Do not simply drop the card into a pocket; instead take a few seconds to review names and titles, commenting on them if time permits.

Business Culture Punctuality is highly valued in Japan. ... The most common form of greeting in Japan is a bow, which varies depending on the context and social relationship between the two parties (see Bowing (Ojigi) in Greetings). ... When meeting a business partner for the first time, it is polite to use formal titles.

Americans tend to communicate through facts and opinions. While this is also important in Japan, Japanese business people will discuss conflicts indirectly that do not involve confrontation or a public dispute. Instead, Japanese business people tend to conform to the group looking to create harmony.