“I am sorry.” You will have experienced this at least once if you spend some time with Japanese people: The first word coming out of someone’s mouth is often a word of apology. This is not only the case on an individual level, but also in the business context. We often come across situations where the management of a Japanese […]
Critics disagree if the Japanese government’s Abenomics initiative has been successful so far, or will be in the future. Yet the number of bankruptcy cases filed with court has decreased steadily since 2010, showing a remarkable decline since the initiative’s launch three years ago. In fact, the number of cases filed in May this year was the lowest figure since […]
If your products are not selling as planned, do you ask longstanding suppliers to accept returns? Or, if you are offering discounts, do you have them bear some portion? These are just two examples of considerations you may have if your bargaining position against your suppliers is very strong. And you wouldn’t be alone. In fact, not a few companies […]
Many foreign companies don’t properly understand how hard it actually is to unilaterally terminate employment in Japan. In fact, they often try to dismiss employees based on norms of their home countries and without careful consideration of the local situation. As introduced in a previous article, dismissals in Japan are strictly regulated under the Labour Contract Act. Employers have to […]
Many people in Japan call life-time employment, seniority-based employment and company unions the Three Sacred Treasures of Japanese-style management. But in reality, these treasures have increasingly become things of the past. Companies now adopt various patterns to employ people in Japan. Statistics of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) show that while the share of limited-term employees was […]
Japan’s declining population is expected to lead to slower market growth. One measure by the Japanese government to counter this development is trying to attract more investment from overseas. In fact, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) aims to double foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks to up to 35 billion yen by 2020. Reasons to enter Japan One […]
It is no secret that many small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) in Japan often have excellent technologies at their command. Yet many are focusing more or less on their domestic market. But as promotion by the government or private initiatives is stepping up, they attract higher attention from overseas. And as they become increasingly open themselves, foreign companies have more […]
