Topic · 15 articles
Doing business and leading teams in Japan
Doing business in Japan rewards patience and punishes vagueness. Decisions take consensus, but agreement in a meeting is not the same as a changed process, and long hours are no substitute for clear priorities.
These articles cover leading teams and running a business here: turning decisions into working practice, the strengths and costs of Japanese leadership culture, hiring and training, and the markets and corporate changes that create opportunities for people willing to do unglamorous work.
Most of the practical advice comes down to the same habit: name who owns each decision and each process, and check that the work actually changed.
All articles in this topic
15- Daikin, Elliott, and the Japan Inc. value gap Elliott's campaign at Daikin asks whether one of Japan's best companies can match its engineering with capital discipline. What the case says about Japan Inc.
- Japanese leadership culture and the price of wa Wa, or harmony, keeps Japanese organizations stable and makes decisive leadership rare. Where the habit comes from, and how companies can make room for people to speak up.
- Turning a business decision into working practice in Japan Part 1 of a series on Japan in 2026. Agreement in a meeting is not execution. Someone still has to own the change, put it into the process and check that it works.
- Japan in 2026: where change starts to become visible Part 0 of a series on Japan in 2026. Institutions will not transform this year, but the gap between announced change and working practice is getting easier to see.
- Long hours are a poor substitute for leadership Japan's prime minister says she sleeps two to four hours a night. Why visible exhaustion is a bad standard for leaders, and what managers can measure instead.
- Why Japanese expat assignments end early, and how to fix it Most large Japanese firms have seen expatriates return early, usually for cultural and leadership reasons, not language. What that means for training and cross-border teams.
- Japan's zombie companies are closing. Who replaces them? Rising interest rates are pushing Japan's weakest firms out. But tighter business visa rules make it harder for new founders, including foreign ones, to fill the gap.
- When senior leaders in Japan call themselves disorganized A senior leader who laughs off being disorganized sets the standard for the whole company. How the habit spreads in Japanese firms, and how to fix it with systems.
- Training leaders through the work they actually do Leadership training in Japan works when it changes something managers do at work. How to choose a program, set a baseline and make the new behavior stick.
- Shipping from Japan to the US after the de minimis exemption ended The US ended duty-free entry for small parcels in 2025. What changed for sellers in Japan, how Japan Post shipping works now, and how to price duties into orders.
- Staying adaptable while doing business in Tokyo Japanese companies value stability and consensus. How to recognize when a plan has stopped working, and how to change direction in Tokyo without fighting the system.
- Sunk costs: deciding when to stop a project Money and time already spent do not justify the next investment. A practical way to judge whether a project, system or vendor still deserves support in Japan.
- Overlooked markets in Japan: finding them and testing them Japan has real demand that large companies and standard market reports miss. How to spot overlooked markets, and how to test whether one is a business.
- Blue ocean strategy in practice: markets people avoid A neglected market is not an empty one. How to find work customers struggle to get done, test whether they will pay, and build a model that can deliver it.
- Why job listings in Japan should show a real salary range A clear salary range lets candidates judge fit before applying and forces the employer to settle the role and budget first. What it means for hiring in Japan.