How to Be Prepared for Your Negotiations with the Japanese
After understanding the uniqueness of the Japanese society you should know that everyone involved in the negotiations must be aware of the Japanese culture and how to do business in Japan, as it is not a possibility to ignore the culture differences when doing business in Japan. This is why there should be at least basic training for people who are new to doing business in Japan. These trainings should include a few preparatory sessions with a consultant who has experience of doing business in Japan. Everyone should be at least taught what kind of speaking and behaving is desirable during the negotiations and how Japanese counterparts should be addressed. We also think that it is a great advantage in negotiations if the whole negotiating team understands Japanese culture enough to be able to understand the signaling of the Japanese and read through their behavior in different phases of the negotiation. We will come back to signaling later in this paper.
Your team should also understand what are the basic differences between the Japanese and Westerners in a negotiation. The Japanese are said to be less concerned of deadlines. Make sure to prepare enough time and leave some flexibility for deadlines. There is often a silence during negotiations with the Japanese. This is not a problem and they respect these breaks and use it for thinking about the solutions. Westerners usually have more authority for decisions made during the meetings. However, the Japanese counter part often has to confirm things with superiors before making any promises. The Japanese also feel threatened quickly by aggressive tactics or complicated and stressful situations. As a negotiator you should not raise your voice and threaten the Japanese. Try to be as strict forward as possible and do not hide vital information from the Japanese when it is necessary for them. (Adachi, 1997)
You and your team should be prepared for a completely different style and pace of negotiation and understand
Your team should also understand what are the basic differences between the Japanese and Westerners in a negotiation. The Japanese are said to be less concerned of deadlines. Make sure to prepare enough time and leave some flexibility for deadlines. There is often a silence during negotiations with the Japanese. This is not a problem and they respect these breaks and use it for thinking about the solutions. Westerners usually have more authority for decisions made during the meetings. However, the Japanese counter part often has to confirm things with superiors before making any promises. The Japanese also feel threatened quickly by aggressive tactics or complicated and stressful situations. As a negotiator you should not raise your voice and threaten the Japanese. Try to be as strict forward as possible and do not hide vital information from the Japanese when it is necessary for them. (Adachi, 1997)
You and your team should be prepared for a completely different style and pace of negotiation and understand
References: 1. Katz, Lothar. Negotiating International Business – The Negotiator’s Reference Guide. Booksurge, LLC, 2006. Available at: . Read on 7.2.2013) 2. Syrad, David. Doing Business Effectively in Japan. Presentation made in 2008. Available at: . Read on 7.2.2013. 3. Adachi, Yumi (1997) "Business Negotiations between the Americans and the Japanese," Global Business Languages: Vol. 2, Article 4. Available at: Read on 7.2.2013