Work in Japan

Everything About Japanese Culture for Businessmen

2020.04.03 www.gloture.co.jp

If a foreign company wants to enter the Japanese market, learning the language is not enough. Even if you speak really well, faux pas slow down your business and harm your credibility. Whether you want to create a website, post on social media or meet professionals, there are a few things you should pay attention to. You can also read about the Japanese business etiquette to know the dos and don’ts when participating in professional meetings. Colors Color meanings change depending on countries and sometimes regions, so it is important to know them in order to avoid delivering the wrong message. Black: both positive and negative, it represents elegance, sexuality…

Crowdfunding in Japan

How to Write & Submit a Press Release in Japan

2020.04.02 www.gloture.co.jp

Press releases are not to be overlooked since it is a basic way to make your product known – whether you are doing crowdfunding or want to sell a good or service. Basically, you write all the essential information and send your text to press companies to attract new customers. It must be catchy and make readers want to buy your product, but not only. Here are the best tips for you to succeed! Benefits of Press Releases Why should you write and send a press release? It is a marketing method really effective, the cost is not very high but the impact on your sales is big. It will also…

Globalization & the Struggle of Japanese Companies

2020.03.27 www.gloture.co.jp

More foreign companies are setting a branch in Japan, but they struggle to adapt to the local culture. The country is geographically isolated and its people give much importance to traditions and Japanese uniqueness (the nihonjinron logic), so it is not easy to understand and follow the untold rules – especially in a business setting. It is even more difficult for Japanese companies, who don’t always know how to deal with another culture. With globalization, however, enterprises will have to overcome those problems and be more opened to the world. Why Japan Experiences Difficulties Japanese companies struggle more at a global level than other multinationals. They lack global human capital since…

How to Meet Customers’ Needs When Shipping in Japan

2020.03.26 www.gloture.co.jp

The B2C e-commerce market represents a growing part of the total annual sales in Japan. Its two biggest platforms, Rakuten and Amazon, have a total annual sales estimated respectively at JPY 3.43 trillion (USD 31.7 billion) and JPY 2.75 trillion in 2019 (USD 25.42 billion). They offer amazing services, so consumers in Japan have high expectations concerning shipping or customer support. After we saw what the best methods of payment were in Japan, let’s focus on what you can do to improve your shipping service. What Customers Expect In Japan, customers expect a very fast delivery service. Usually, when they order on Amazon or Rakuten, they receive their parcel the…

Automotive Industry: When Japan Drives Us to the Future

2020.03.24 www.gloture.co.jp

If you have ever done some Great Tokyo walks, you must have seen amazing and very expensive cars in abundance. Because Japan is known for its advances in technology, it is not surprising that cars are becoming more connected and more futuristic. High-performance cars are flourishing since the 2000s, with companies like Toyota, Honda or Nissan, but also Mitsubishi, Mazda, Subaru, Nexus, etc. Those companies surprised us with more design and developed vehicles, and they will not stop there. So what does the automotive industry look like today and what will it look like in the future? The Japanese Automotive Industry The best Japanese automotive companies are known globally, and…

Cybersecurity in Japan: Essential But Not Effective – Yet

2020.03.24 www.gloture.co.jp

Japan counts 117.6 million Internet users and more than a hundred thousand of cybercrime cases every year. Attacks are becoming more frequent but also more effective and destructive. Many types of criminal activities exist: hacking, phishing, denial-of-service attack, infection with malware, identity fraud, electronic theft, etc. Even though Japan is known as a technology and innovation leader, it remains late in cybersecurity. Why is it so? Let’s review the situation. Why Cybersecurity is Essential Cyberthreats should not be taken lightly since personal and financial data can be stolen, causing damage to a brand’s reputation at the same time. The number of cases is increasing every year as the world becomes…

How the Coronavirus Pandemic Impacts Japanese Companies

2020.03.23 www.gloture.co.jp

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…

Reading the Air: the Best Skill When Working in Japan

2020.03.23 www.gloture.co.jp

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…

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

2020.03.19 www.gloture.co.jp

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…

Why Is the Japanese Management System Praised

2020.03.17 www.gloture.co.jp

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…