Challenges

How the Coronavirus Pandemic Impacts Japanese Companies

As of March 23th, 2020, the coronavirus infected more than 337,553 people and killed 14,654 of them. In the archipelago, 14,654 cases and 41 deaths were reported, which makes people wonder if the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will start as scheduled. Unlike people in many countries, the Japanese are not locked up, even though some restrictions are set. They can go out as much as they want but the government asks companies to implement teleworking. So how does Japan, a country where it is valued to spend never-ending hours at work and to build relationships during drinking parties (nomikai), deal with this crisis? Companies Opt for Teleworking Both the government and…

Challenges

Reading the Air: the Best Skill When Working in Japan

If you are a foreigner working in Japan, you may have heard the phrase ‘kuuki ga yomenai’ 空気が読めない (a person who ‘cannot read the air’). It is said that women read the air better than men in Japan, but everyone is supposed to understand what is implicitly said, especially in a business setting. As you may know, the Japanese communication style is very indirect, what is said is not always what is meant. In the same way, what is not said has a meaning, you must ‘understand the atmosphere’: a silence, a look – if it is a glance or a gaze, the message conveyed is different, etc. Reading the…

Marketing in Japan

The Best Methods of Payment for Your Japanese E-Commerce Site

Japan is a cash-is-king society, with under 20 percent of contactless transactions (credit cards, rail passes, smartphone apps, etc.). Even when purchasing on e-commerce sites, cash payments remain frequent. While in the West, you don’t always have the choice but to pay by card, many Japanese websites offer several options. If you want to enter the Japanese market, you must understand that and meet customers’ expectations. Companies who don’t make this effort have a higher rate of shopping cart abandonment and lose many customers every day.  Online Shopping in Japan Statistics In Japan, the largest online market is fashion, but others such as the travel, electronic devices, food and beauty markets…

Work in Japan

Why Is the Japanese Management System Praised

The Japanese management system is (or was) celebrated by many and is presented as the best system that must be followed by the Western countries. Even though it is changing, you can still see this management style in execution in Japanese companies. If you are interested in working in Japan or with Japanese, note that you should learn their ways of doing as many of them don’t know about other countries’ systems or prefer respecting theirs. Let’s get a closer look at what made this system famous (both positively and negatively). Main Features Lifetime Employment  Traditionally, someone is hired for life and trained by the company. Colleagues and bosses are…

AI

Will Employees Be Replaced by Robots in Japan?

Japan is a leader in industrial robotics, many companies are focused on developing robots with cutting-edge functionalities. Connected Robotics, Telexistence, Softbank robotics, Preferred Networks… Those companies don’t develop the same kinds of robots, but they play their part and help improve AI, facial recognition, etc. Some robots, however, provoke people’s apprehension since they are made to replace workers. But will they really increase the unemployment rate? Or will they decrease it? Why Developing Robotics? Because of its aging population, Japan is in need of robots to perform some jobs or to make a job more attractive. First, some robots are not created to replace humans, but to help them, especially…

Marketing in Japan

YouTube Marketing in Japan: Tips & Tricks

Do you think your audience is not on YouTube? Let me tell you that you are wrong. More than 2 billion users watch or upload videos, which represents almost 1/3 of the Internet. 95% of the world’s population can create an account since it is accessible in 80 different languages and 100 countries. But what about Japan specifically?  YouTube in Japan: Data YouTube was launched in Japan in 2007. A decade later, it had a penetration rate of over 90% among Japanese aged 13 to 29 years old (2019, Statista). However, the rate was 41% for people in their 60s – which is almost half of them, when we think…

Marketing in Japan

Marketing to Seniors in Japan: a Golden Opportunity

Japan is experiencing a super-aging society, in every area. In 2017, 35.2 million inhabitants were 65 or older. In 2020, it is supposed to grow to 36.2 million (according to Statista). It represents a huge opportunity for marketers, should they find the right way to reach out to the elderly. Nowadays, advertising campaigns which target seniors are quite offensive and aim at solving problems related to age only, like safer bathtubs or adult diapers. But people don’t stop living and having fun after 60 years old, they do more than just staying at home and playing go. Situation in Japan Japan has a huge amount of data concerning the elderly,…

Marketing in Japan

The Best Japanese Website Design

The characteristics of a good website design are not the same depending on countries. Making the right decisions will increase traffic and improve your company’s image. A great website in Europe will be seen as sad in Japan, colors don’t have the same meaning, numbers neither… If users are familiar with your design, they will trust the brand better and stay longer. So let’s see what the best websites look like in Japan and how to improve yours. Case Study: Starbucks English version As we can see, the style is more refined, whitespace filled. There is less text, almost none. A big font size is used for the main information…

Strategies for successful marketing

SEO in Japan: Boost Traffic to Your Website

SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, is extremely valuable for your brand. If you have a website, you should always check that users find it easily and how they can find it. You will see benefits both on the short and long term and increase online traffic.  Why Is SEO Important in Japan To earn customer trust, the first step is to get positive reviews and be well ranked on the main search engines. According to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, they are the most trusted source of information in Japan. Japanese Internet users want to know what others think about your company and if you are reliable. They…

Tech

Men, Women & Tech in Japan

In Japan, a huge gender gap exists in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Women have to achieve way more than men do to enter a good school and be hired in a company. Also, interests seem to be different depending on gender. Why is that? Why are men and women not equals facing technology or science?  Brain Differences? According to Mentorist DaiGo, there are ‘female’ and ‘male’ brains and 15% of men have a female one, while 10% of women have a male one. The ‘male’ brain is supposed to be more logical (‘This is the way it is, it will always be, so the result will…