Japanese Business Etiquette

Japan is an island country, until the Meiji Restoration, it has been living a relatively closed and tranquil life.

They are introverted and difficult to integrate with other ethnic groups in other regions.

Moreover, because of their close ties with the splendid culture of China, their inferiority complex has been created.

However, in the process of modernization, Japan achieved more than many advanced countries. At that time, the inferiority complex was pformed into a conceited mentality.

Therefore, Japanese style is difficult to interact with other countries.

The Japanese have a strong sense of group and enjoy collective activities.

Whether in business, social groups or family, you can often see their colorful and varied activities.

For example, new year's meeting, annual meetings, sports activities, outing and so on.

No matter what activities, the Japanese are actively involved, and often bring their families together.

The Japanese have a group concept that takes the whole situation into consideration. The group's actions and discipline are of the highest binding force.

If someone says bad things about his own group or reveals his dirty linen, he will be isolated.

When they meet with foreigners, they usually bow to each other and greet each other. If they want to shake hands, they will feel cumbersome and annoying.

Of course, the Japanese, who often deal with foreigners and do business, and the younger generation of Japanese are accustomed to shaking hands.

However, this deep-rooted psychological habit still has an invisible influence.

Therefore, it would be more natural to greet you with a bow when you meet with Japanese people.

Bow: in Japan, all verbal greetings are accompanied by bows and bows can almost replace any greeting.

The difference between the bow and the bow is different.

Bow bowed the lowest and most courteous bow, called "the most salute", a tiny bow is called "will release".

In the form of bows, men and women are also different. Men bowed with their hands hanging on their hands. The woman pressed one hand to the front and pressed the other hand.

Business card: for Japanese, exchanging business cards is the most concise way of interpersonal communication without embarrassing both sides.

In Japan, the social hierarchy is very strict. When using business cards, we should pay attention to the following matters:

When printing business cards, it is best to print Chinese on one side and print Japanese on one side, and the title in the card should accurately reflect its position in the company.

When meeting with Japanese businessmen, remember to exchange business cards in the order of high positions and low positions.

When exchanging business cards, put the printed side up and straighten the hands, bow slightly, and each side's business card to the right hand.

After receiving the business card, we must study its content.

After that, say "glad to see you" and so on, and repeat your name and bow again.

Remember to add the word "SAN" after its name.

(the pronunciation of Japanese "Sir", both men and women alike), please note that there will not be two persons with the same title in a department of Japanese company, no matter how close their positions are, there must be slight differences.

Otherwise, it will offend people with high positions.

Never forget the name of the other person when they meet with the Japanese who have exchanged business cards.

Otherwise, the Japanese will think you are insulting him.

Sit: the Japanese are very particular about sitting posture, whether they are sitting on chairs or tatami.

The younger generation can not cross the legs in front of the elders.

When visiting a Japanese company, the meeting of guests and hosts usually takes place in the conference room.

Moreover, the guests are usually led to the conference room first. The owner comes to a few minutes later and visits each guest to exchange business cards.

As a courtesy, guests can not just sit at the top of the table. They should always stand and wait for the host to come in and give up their seats.

Laugh: usually, the Japanese are more reserved. When they laugh, their voices are too low to tolerate loud laughter.

The Japanese smile and smile for a long time at the beginning of the conversation.

Especially at the negotiating table, it's hard for you to guess the Japanese facial expressions.

Greetings: when a Japanese first meets a visitor, it always takes a few minutes to ask the guests about their way on the way and ask them about the situation they have seen before.

Then they will pause for a while, hoping that the guests will do the same.

Next, the Japanese side will talk about the relationship between the Japanese side and the guest company. At this point, the guests have better convey to the Japanese side the high-level greetings.

Please note that if the Japanese intentionally miss someone during the inquiry, they imply that they do not like this person.

The Japanese attach great importance to level equivalence in communication.

If the visitor is at a low level, it is best to bring a personal letter of the same level personnel or convey his special greetings.

Clothing: Japanese people pay special attention to image in formal occasions.

If you attend Japanese banquet or other activities, be sure to dress neatly; otherwise, you will be considered that you do not take him seriously.

Therefore, during the visit, make sure that you have a neat set of clothes around you.

Banquet: Japanese people usually eat all kinds of dishes once they eat.

The order of eating is to drink the soup first and then pick up some dishes from the plates and bowls.

In the process of eating, eat slowly, always use left hand soup, rice bowl; use chopsticks at the other end of the dish from the public dish; before the end, do not withdraw the empty plate.

Besides, when you start eating, say "I want to eat". After eating, I want to say, "I'm full."

The Japanese are very proud of their unique cuisine.

If you know some appreciation and taste of Japanese food, you will often win the respect of Japanese.

Besides, the Japanese think that good drinkers are heroes. If they ask you if you want to drink, the correct answer is "yes".

Gift: gifts are extremely important in Japanese society.

In Japan, commercial gifts are very expensive. Their generosity in giving presents is sometimes shocking.

When giving gifts, they are usually in social activities, such as at the dinner table after the talks.

It's best to say something like "this is nothing."

In addition, we should pay attention to the position of the Japanese people, and the gifts should be divided into different grades according to the position.

If the general manager received the same gift as the deputy general manager, the former would feel insulted and the latter felt embarrassed.

Etiquette with Japanese

Addressing: when addressing a Japanese, it must be called a surname, followed by "San", and must not be named.

Position: the position of Japanese companies is as follows:

Chairman to President, vice president, specialist, executive vice chairman, executive director, director, minister, and director.

The head of a class is the lowest rank employee that a Chinese businessman can meet. He is in the front line of management, both a manager and a worker.

The minister is equivalent to the Department Manager in a Chinese company.

Although directors have a level, they are seldom regarded as a basic position alone, usually as a minister.

A managing director usually holds the executive rights of the whole management department, such as market, finance, product and administration.

The executive vice chairman is usually a specialist and usually takes third seats in the company.

The president and chairman are mostly bosses.

Topic: when talking with Japanese people, try to choose neutral topics such as common friends, common experiences, tea and wine, Japanese related issues, etc., so as to avoid talking about the price, salary and related topics of money, and avoid embarrassing the other party.

Dating: in Japan, there is an unusual thing: private appointments must arrive within fifteen minutes.

However, in Japan, the appointment is not very binding, and time and place can be changed in advance.

Visiting families: Japanese usually do not invite foreign businessmen to their homes.

In the event of a special situation when visiting a Japanese family, the following rules should be followed:

You can be flexible in time.

But if the host is the elders, the guest must arrive on time or earlier; outside the house, take off shoes, pick up the hat, and then ring the doorbell before entering the living room, bow to each other, enter the living room and start greeting each other; then the guests hand in the gifts, before leaving the host, the owner will return the gifts with courtesy.

However, if Chinese businessmen invite Japanese businessmen to visit their homes, the Japanese will be very happy.

Communication: Japanese's favorite way of communication is oral communication, and speaking face to face does not pay much attention to written communication or inquiries.

Japanese also like and appreciate the personal elements of their business relationship. They are happy to receive courtesy visits, chat or just say hello.

Face: face is the most precious thing a Japanese possesses. It is both a mark of respect and a source of confidence.

The lack of appreciation of Japanese work or personality by any words, actions or hints is the greatest offense to the Japanese, and perhaps the greatest insult to them.

If you accidentally do something that hurts the Japanese face or you say something wrong, it means setting up a lifelong enemy for yourself.

Entertainment: Japanese business social activities have unique etiquette, and work and entertainment boundaries are clear, work hard, indulge in entertainment.

There are more layers of entertainment, such as golf, tea ceremony, drinking activities, Cara 0K and so on.

For example, playing golf, the Japanese usually book ten days in advance, and guests can not be late.

The boss will accompany the guests into the club, find a small wardrobe for him, and then give him a box of golf balls and a ball bearing his company's name, and the guests will use the ball delivered by the Japanese.

We must pay special attention to the business matters, no matter what kind of entertainment it is. We should not discuss business problems easily. Even if we want to talk about it, we should talk about it after the event.

Although the Japanese have many rules and customs, as long as they pay attention to the following matters in their contacts, they will not make irreparable mistakes.

Never turn your back on the Japanese face to face.

Even if you have to refuse, you have to consider that if you want to negate the Japanese's proposal, you must state your reasons in a clear, coherent and non threatening manner.

When you deny your advice, the Japanese always do not directly say "no". Therefore, if you want to see if it really negates your proposal, you must learn to distinguish some subtle hints.

Never blame the Japanese face to face.

If you want to emphasize your proposal, you'd better raise your suggestion indirectly, or try to attract the attention of the Japanese, or let the Japanese speak on their own initiative in other ways.

Never praise the Japanese government or depreciate its government in the face of the Japanese.

In the Japanese mind, people who do not respect their own country are the last to be paid.

Never use it to put pressure on them by negotiating the same business with others or other companies.

Business competition is very sensitive to Japanese people, and the names of Japanese competitors may offend them.

No matter which side the mistake is, you should find someone in the middle (the referee of both sides or people who are familiar with each other) to negotiate unpleasant or unfortunate things.

When you host Japanese guests, you should fully show that you have a good knowledge of Japanese culture.

When a Japanese guest leaves your office, you have to accompany him to the front door or the elevator.

The last friendly gesture is to push the elevator keys for them, and when they get on the elevator, they say goodbye to them again.

When interacting with Japanese, let the Japanese speak more, listen patiently and never interrupt each other.

Otherwise, the Japanese will stop talking, listen to you politely, and may not say anything from now on.

Japanese businessmen always express their heartfelt thanks to others for their kindness and help, and will repay them in the future.

When communicating with them, they should show genuine sincerity and heart to heart.

This will certainly help business.

For Japanese businessmen, when they first meet, it is much more important to establish a long-term relationship of mutual trust and mutual understanding than to talk about business at hand.

Therefore, establishing a good relationship is the key in the initial stage of business.

Of course, the above applies to the occasion of visiting or receiving Japanese visitors to China for the first time in Japan.

Nowadays, the Japanese who often do business, work and study in other countries have accepted many new ideas and habits, and do not care much about some traditional things.

But no matter what kind of Japanese you see, you can do something according to Japanese habits and etiquette.