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Noel Fuller
Malcolm Campbell
Uwrite 1103
March 30, 2015
Break down Japanese culture Barriers in Business
In business, America has built a reputation of being a leading economical empire through
globalization. America has forged many relationships with foreign countries that speak a variety
of language and cultural values. Because of Americas strong influence internationally it has
become somewhat accustomed to other countries accommodating them in order to get business
done rather than accommodating other countries they want to do business with. One country that
struggles to do business according to western customs is Japan. The Japanese have a culture built
around a completely different set of values in which western culture expresses while conducting
business. Besides the difficulty of diverging values between these two nations, the Japanese
struggle to learn English as well as other countries have been able to. Perhaps because of the
difference in values of a culture which dictates language by grammar but also by the words
available to use and how a conversation is conducted. Instead of expecting everyone to
accommodate western culture, why should America not try to accommodate other countries we
do business with, especially Japan? Since Japan is a country known for globalizing products and
has such a poor time learning English because of differences in culture should America and other
countries not try to do business according to Japanese customs? Others should take the time to

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learn Japanese language and culture instead of expecting them to change how they operate to
accommodate everyone else.
Not only does Japan have different cultural values that guide their language and
communication, their values also guide their work ethic. Japan has a system that encompasses a
well-rounded worker and good leadership. The globalization of Japanese culture and longevity of
employment in Japan insists that we should take a page from their book. Should we follow Japan
and internalize some of their values, making them our own?
Naoki Kameda a professor of the graduate school of commerce at Doshisha University
argues that if properly coordinated with English, the way Japanese culture dictates
communication can be integrated into international business communication this century.
Japanese culture opposes western culture in communication and therefore comprehension of
each others language is difficult. When tested by the Educational Testing service in the USA,
Japan came in eighteenth out of twenty-one participating Asian nations and regions for the
English as a foreign language test. The differences in culture make it difficult for Japanese
people to understand how English works. In western culture, people conduct business and have
conversations that are direct and to the point. Japan has multiple alphabets used for different
facets of communication and they speak in a more indirect fashion rather than the direct route
familiar to western culture (Naoki 145). For example, the Japanese language does not have a
word equivalent to the English word, no. They have sixteen ways of avoiding saying no, making
it difficult to distinguish when they actually mean yes. It can sound as though they are
considering the possibility but in reality they really mean it is unlikely to occur. Say you ask
them to see a movie Saturday night, they will respond Muzukashii desu, it is difficult, instead of
saying no. They always tack on I think to their statements so as to avoid being pushy. While

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Japanese culture holds honesty to a high regard, it is looked down upon to speak forcefully to
convey your opinion (Lampkin and Takada 23). Japanese people think like this: if we state a
conclusion, it means that our statement is the truth. Such a statement is definitely false, because
our words can never be absolutely true (Naoki 146). Speaking Japanese but in an English
manner would be difficult since they do not even have the words to accommodate western
communication styles. It would be asking them to change their values.
Changing values to more closely resemble western culture would affect work ethic in
Japan. Japanese business values are effective in maintaining good work ethics; they know that a
worker who understands why they are doing something is more motivated than one that simply
does the job in order to receive pay (Picken). The worker that can put meaning to his task and see
past the perceived purpose that their task only serves to be a short fixture will be a more active
employer giving feedback and ideas of improvement (Florida and Kenney). In western culture,
management is based upon skill or authority scales and the pay difference between manager and
employee are substantial (Picken). Japan uses a system that English workers believe to be
determined by paternalism , however, instead of being generous because you feel like it the
system is more about managers doing their part to guarantee that the company will maintain its
success, a system based upon duty due to emotional connections (Picken).
The organization of labor has changed throughout history. It went from everyone doing
what they needed in order to survive, fishing and hunting, to specialized jobs for people, based
on skills a person has. Managers rewarding a person for the work they accomplish has become
expected through socialization and the expectations of society became a persons motivation to
work (Bass 5). Japanese production lines encourage floor workers to be creative, share ideas and
be involved in the whole production process rather than limit themselves to one skill on the floor

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(Florida and Kenney). They are barrowing the ideas from the Paleolithic era of being able to
preform any task instead of just one skill. Of course during the Paleolithic era, people had no
choice but to do everything for themselves in order to survive but now we use the concept of
being able to do a little bit of everything in order to maintain workers that will stay with their job
longer.
Japanese culture is being taken all over the world. Japan is marketing their unique
culture, appealing to the consumers today that celebrate different cultures rather than revile them
(Glodstein-Gidoni 156). Since Japanese values differ from others they have different art and
ceremonies that can intrigue people who are unfamiliar with the values and traditions behind
these customs. Marketing these different performances is done using Japanese values that the art
cannot be vulgar in nature because that would detract from its uniqueness. In this day and age it
is hard to come by art that is high culture among other countries (Goldstein-Gidoni). Japanese
culture can be criticized by foreign countries because the values that are intrinsic to the country
become meaningless to others (Picken).
Values and customs can have a drastic effect on how a business runs. While we live in
America and grew up here, accustomed to how we operate, why shouldnt we consider to move
in a different direction? We can learn from Japan. They have difficulty with English because
western culture has a way with being brusque and direct. While, Japan struggles with directness
in turning someone down or just saying no, in reverse we have no problem talking in round about
ways. Western culture simply chooses not to. At least we have the words readily available to
speak in a different way if we choose, but Japanese language does not allow for them to be more
direct. Western culture should accommodate Japanese language and customs into their business
deals. They should take the time to learn the language and how to communicate the way they are

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accustomed to, in an indirect way. It would show respect for the people they are dealing with if
they let them down gently instead of being direct and harsh when uninterested.
Besides language and communication, values effect the production lines of companies.
The Japanese production workers have a little bit of knowledge about every step that goes on in
order to make the final product and therefore feel more connected and invested to the work and
contributing ideas to improve the work and the process. Management is not separated in
Japanese businesses the way western culture separates them. They are not merely above other
workers to oversee them, they interact in order to communicate problems and solutions. They use
their values in art and performances which attracts foreigners and enables them to market their
culture with ease. The key to marketing their unique culture is to be classy and not give in to new
traditions that are common around the world today.

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Works Cited
Bass, Bernard M. Continuity and Change in the Evolution of Work and Human Resource
Management Human Resource Management. 33.1 (1991): 3-31. Wiley Online Library.
Web. 4, Mar. 2015
Florida, Rishard, Martin Kenney. Organisation vs. Culture: Japanese automotive transplants in
the US Industrial Relations Journal. 22.3 (1991): 181-196. Web. 20 Mar. 2015
Goldstein-Gidoni, Ofra. The Production and Consumption of Japanese
Culture in the Global Cultural Market Journal of Consumer Culture. 5.2
Sage Publication (2005): 155-179. ArticleFirst. Web. 3 Mar. 2015
Kameda, Naoki. The Implication of Language Style in Business
Communication: Focus on English versus Japanese Corporate
Communications: An International Journal. 6.3 (2001): 144-149.
Emerald Publishing Group Limited. Web. 4, Mar. 2015
Lampkin, Rita L, Noriko Takada. The Japanese Way: Aspects of Behavior, Attitudes, and
Customs of the Japanese. Lincolnwood: Passport Books, 1997. Print.
Picken, Stuart D.B. Values and Value Related Strategies in Japanese
Corporate Culture Journal of Business Ethics. 6.2 (1987): 137-143.
SpringerLinks. Web. 3 Mar. 2015