Japanese Business Etiquettes: A Guide for Australian Entrepreneurs

This report delves into the intricacies of Japanese business etiquette, specifically focusing on how Australian businesses and entrepreneurs can navigate the cultural nuances to achieve success. It highlights the significant differences between Australian and Japanese business practices, emphasizing the importance of understanding these differences for effective cross-cultural communication. The report covers crucial aspects like the initial business meeting, gift-giving, business card exchange, seating arrangements, and the importance of timeliness. It also discusses the application of Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory to illustrate the cultural values that influence business behavior in Japan. The report provides practical advice on how to avoid common pitfalls, such as the importance of indirect communication, the need for careful preparation, and the value of note-taking. It concludes by emphasizing the necessity of adapting to Japanese business etiquette to foster successful relationships and business ventures. The report also references relevant academic literature to support its findings.

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UNIVERSITY
An Australian Doing business in Japan: The Particular Business Etiquettes
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An Australian Doing business in Japan: The Particular Business Etiquettes
It is really tough to do business in Japan being a foreigner or outsider and the issue
becomes more critical when it comes to first business meeting or the presentation of the
proposal. As the business etiquettes of Australia and Japan hugely differ from each other, an
entrepreneur needs to thoroughly assess the cultural peculiarities embedded in the business
etiquettes of Japan so that he/she can properly approach an investor and set up a business
successfully (Chaney and Martin, 2011). In this manner, the current paper attempts to evaluate
the cultural features in the business etiquettes of Japan so than an entrepreneur might have an
insight into what should be done in order to accomplish the desired target.
Working together and opening a business in Japan can be befuddling, baffling and
unsuccessful without understanding Japanese business culture and the essential business
decorum in Japan (Shelley, 1993). The field of business in Japan may appear to be much the
same as a different universe. The structure that represents relationship-building, traditions,
business behavior and the amusement scene contrasts extraordinarily to the societies of west,
middle-east, and Asia (Dunn, 2011). There is a horde of traps into which an unwitting business
expert can fall that will disrupt their Japanese partner. As far as the business etiquettes are
concerned, The Japanese are to a great degree neighborly and put significance on regard and
social status. One might be showered with expand compliments while his/her host stays humble
and plays down their accomplishments. Australians who demonstrate unobtrusiveness will be
very much respected by Japanese individuals. Whereas the business related conferences amid the
daylight may appear to be moderate and regularly avoiding key issues, evening time drinking
and suppers are frequently the time when more valuable data is bolstered back to the venturer or
entrepreneur (Dunn, 2013). The Japanese compare being aberrant with being gracious, so

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beginning a conference with 'casual discussion' will get the meeting off to a decent begin.
Australians can misjudge this backhandedness and decipher it as uncertainty or non-
responsibility from the Japanese side. In such circumstances, it pays to be persistent. Timeliness
is an unquestionable requirement and it is regular to touch base at a meeting with ample time in
hand before the delegated time; if an individual is running late, it is considerate to call ahead to
inform the surmised time regarding landing (Eckard Marchiori, E. Carraher and Stiles, 2014). All
arrangements ought to be organized with organizations preceding your landing. It is improper to
take companions, life partners or kids to conferences and it is likewise not normal for mates to be
welcomed out for business meals. Conferences perpetually start with the trading of business
cards and are given and got in the two hands and laid deferentially on the table. The cards should
be kept in the briefcase instead of the pockets of pants. On the off chance that time and
circumstance permit, one must have his/her business cards printed with the person's name and
organization name in Japanese, yet not the place of work as this is useless (Okoro, 2012). One
ought to likewise remember the seating courses of action that are utilized as a part of formal
conferences. The most vital visitor sits farthest from the entryway and the host sits nearest to the
entryway. If all else fails, one should hold up to be situated or ask where he/she ought to sit.
Additionally, blessings are a bit much and it is unseemly to offer costly endowments, especially
on first gatherings (Reynolds and Valentine, 2011). Little blessings, for example, organization
pens, can be exhibited once the business is prepared to initiate or has started. It is for the most
part thought to be inconsiderate to open blessings before the provider. Japanese individuals
additionally make a decent attempt to keep away from open clash thus may answer equivocally
or even consent to an offer that they have no goal of tolerating. One beneficial method for taking
care of this issue is to set up a brief, however clear reminder depicting the circumstance and

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commitments of the two gatherings and present it as a record of the meeting (Dunn, 2011). This
will test the Japanese side's position on the issue as they will be compelled to react.
The application of Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory suggests that cross-cultural
communication depends heavily upon the understanding of cultural value and perspectives of a
culture with which an individual intends to connect (Hofstede, 2011). It also suggests that the
social norms and beliefs dictate the cultural values which are embedded in various fields of the
society including trades and business (Rinuastuti et al., 2014). In this manner, one should always
remember that an Australian must be aware of the Japanese business etiquettes in order to
mitigate the cross-cultural disadvantages. The cultural and perspectives practices associated with
doing business in Japan contrast from the Australian business culture. As one begins or extends
his/her business in Japan, having a comprehension of Japanese business manners is essential to
make the coveted progress (Dunn, 2013). Knowing and rehearsing normal traditions will
likewise enable a person to unwind, to keep away from shame, and concentrate on the current
issues on basic events. One ought to abstain from shaking hands on the initial meeting. It is
especially an Australian practice to snatch the partner's hand and offer a healthy hand-shake.
Japanese representatives will just once in a while shake hands (Eckard Marchiori, E. Carraher
and Stiles, 2014). Japanese business manners keep away from physical contact out and out.
Moreover, it is also important to produce business in the bi-lingual format in which one language
ought to be Japanese. Besides, one ought to be very much arranged ahead of time of the
gatherings. The Japanese hosts will undoubtedly know the business person and his/her business
great. In this way, the concerned individual ought to have a point by point suggestion of the
estimation of his/her organization and item; the business partners will likewise have one for
him/her (Okoro, 2012). Japanese organizations frequently meet with various remote

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organizations trying to set up connections; if an individual can't catch their consideration at the
initial meeting, he/she will most likely be unable to secure development. Subsequently, the
individual ought to guarantee that he/she has arranged the substance for the meeting. Timeliness
is basic in Japanese conferences. Gatherings once in a while keep running after some time as the
members are regularly extremely occupied and won't be set up to be late for their next meeting
(Dunn, 2011). Note taking amid a meeting is a decent Japanese business decorum. Besides the
down to earth significance of note taking, it is a show of regard to the Japanese partners as the
business person must esteem what they saying (Okoro, 2012). Moreover, one should ensure that
he/she knows the dialect abilities of the hosts or visitors before the meeting. It is more helpful
and dependable for the business visionary to have his/her own particular translation if the hosts
don't communicate in English or have minimal English capacity. Australian Multi Lingual
Services can help those people with the arrangement of gifted English talking mediators in
Japan. Nonetheless, if a meeting is led in English, one ought to make sure to talk plainly and
keep away from Australian colloquial articulations and jokes. Furthermore, the knowledge of the
local and global presence of the Japanese companies would eventually help an entrepreneur to
collect data, assess them, and impress the businessmen by providing them some stunning
perspectives on the business.
The paper has thoroughly discussed the Japanese business etiquettes and how the
Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory connects the Australian business culture with the Japanese
culture. It has been found that there are vast differences among these diverse business cultures.
There are certain etiquettes and conducts which an individual needs to focus on if one needs to
open a business in Japan. In this regard, some specific etiquettes have been pointed out so that a

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concerned individual properly understand what should be done and what should be avoided in
order to make an impression at the very first business meeting.

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References
Chaney, L. H., & Martin, J. S. (2011). Intercultural business communication (4th ed.). Upper
Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Dunn, C. (2011). Formal forms or verbal strategies? Politeness theory and Japanese business
etiquette training. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(15), pp.3643-3654.
Dunn, C. (2013). Speaking politely, kindly, and beautifully: Ideologies of politeness in Japanese
business etiquette training. Multilingua, 32(2), pp.225-245.
Eckard Marchiori, B., E. Carraher, C. and Stiles, K. (2014). Understanding and overcoming
business etiquette differences in Japan, Turkey, and the United States of America. Journal of
Technology Management in China, 9(3), pp.274-288.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online
Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), pp.1-26.
Khan, Y. (2010). Tips on Doing Business in Japan. Global Business Languages, 2, 186-196.
Okoro, E. (2012). Cross-Cultural Etiquette and Communication in Global Business: Toward a
Strategic Framework for Managing Corporate Expansion. International Journal of Business and
Management, 7(16), pp.130-138.
Reynolds, S., & Valentine, D. (2011). Guide to Cross-Cultural Communication (2nd ed.). Upper
Saddle River: Prentice Hall publishing.

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Rinuastuti, H., Hadiwidjojo, D., Rohman, F. and Khusniyah, N. (2014). Measuring Hofstede’s
Five Cultural Dimensions at Individual Level and Its Application to Researchers in Tourists’
Behaviors. International Business Research, 7(12), pp.143-152.
Shelley, R. )1993). Culture Shock! Japan. Portland: Graphic Arts Center Publishing.