Clipping the roots before planting: A three-part examination of interpersonal Japan-U.S. business interactions

Abstract

This paper examines the divide between Japanese and U.S. business communication strategies as it manifests in interpersonal interactions and offers solutions for improved cross-cultural discourse. Often, the divides that arise during exchanges between Japanese and American communicators are due to the misreading of cultural norms specific to each culture.The author calls out three fundamental components of Japanese national culture that represent potential challenge areas for Western communicators when not addressed properly. These challenge areas were selected based on the author's personal experiences accrued while living and working in Japan. It is hoped that a distillation of the cultural components associated with each scenario will help advance the conversation about the challenges involved in cross-cultural communication while simultaneously fostering a more accurate understanding of the manner in which Japanese and American cultures interface communicatively.