Focus: Asia Franchise Markets April 2016 | Page 20

Understanding Japanese business manners.

Japan Culturte

Gifts
It is common to give gifts in Japan when doing business but not 100%
necessary at the first meeting. Once business appears to be
progressing or about to commence it is then a good time to give a gift.
The quality of the gift is important not the value and the gift should be
packaged to a high standard. It is also a good idea to give a gift that
represents your company or the region you are from and a gift that can
be shared by the receiver. It is deemed impolite to open gifts in front of
the receiver.
Business cards
The giving and receiving of business cards is a very important part of
Japanese business. Try to get your cards printed in Japanese and take a
lot of them. You will give a card to each member in a meeting, starting
with the most senior first. Tilt your head and shoulders and hand over
the card using both hands with the Japanese side face up. When
receiving, also tilt head and shoulders and take the card with both
hands. If you are unsure how low to bow-observe and copy! Place the
card on the table with the most senior member's card on top. Do not
write or bend the card. At the end of the meeting put all of the cards
into a card case.
Decisions
Westerners may find a Japanese meeting circular with no conclusions
or decisions being quickly made-do not panic! this is normal procedure
for a Japanese meeting. The decisions are made by the group who will
often initially agree with the senior's view and then have a series of
follow-up meetings where they will give their own opinions before
reaching a group consensus. This can be a long procedure so please do
not continually harass your contact with follow-up emails or calls as
this will put undue pressure on your contact and will not affect the
speed of the process.