Picture of Japanese Business Culture

This picture clearly shows Japanese business etiquette when greeting someone. The "bow" indicates that tradition is still present and important in all aspects of Japenese culture, including business situations.

I found this picture online and i felt this was a great representation of Japanese business today.  On the left side of the picture we see a modern culture that is a stark contrast to the one on the right which represents Japanese ancient culture.  Throughout my research it has become increasingly apparent that while the Japanese are doing all they can to modernize their culture, they still believe in trying to incorporate their values and beliefs into everything that they do.

Japanese Proverb

"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends."

This is an ancient Japanese proverb that i feel is very relevant in our world today.  With globalization moving faster than it ever has before, business men and women must be careful who they associate themselves with.  Here in the United States we have witnessed many people ruin their careers as a result of associating themselves with people who are either unethical or have made poor decisions in their past.

Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions

This is the Geert Hofstede cultural dimensions graph between the United States and Japan. In the Power Distance Index, the graph shows that Japan has a much higher acceptance of inequality than the United States. I believe this is because of their honor-based culture and the dominance of man over woman in their culture.

Another area of the graph with blatantly obvious differences is found in the long term orientation index. The United States achieved a score of 30 which means that their focus is on getting business plans rolling quickly and focusing on short-term goals. However, the Japanese scored an 80 in the long-term orientation index which means that they are comfortable with being visionaries for the future. Even though these two countries are take very different approaches in their planning strategies, it is evident that these countries successful business structures are a result of finding the type of planning orientation that works best for them.

Japanese culture emphasizes the group as a whole over the individual. This is a strict contrast of the American approach to society. The IDV portion of the graph shows the clear difference between the two countries.

Japanese Proverb

Fall down seven times, get up eight.
This is a Japanese proverb that I found. I feel like this demonstrates the work ethic of Japan. They work very hard and in their culture failure is not an option.

Picture of Japan

I feel like this picture says quite a bit about japanese culture. It shows the new culture of highly andvanced technology, but also has the ancient tradition of bowing to show respect.

dcist.com/2008/02/11/japan_culture_h.php

Japanese Business: Quick Facts

Japan 

Operates in an open market system

Is the second largest economy in the world

Has a service sector that accounts for 3/4 of the economy

Is highly specialized in the production of automobiles, electronics, and machinery

Is ranked as the 12th easiest place to do business in the world

Is a proponent of lifetime employment

Is ranked as the 5th most laissez-faire country of over 30 Asian countries

Japanese Government

Japan's governmental structure is that of a constitutional monarchy.  Generally defined a constitutional monarchy is defined as a form of national government in which the power of the monarch (the king or queen) is restrained by a parliament, by law, or by custom.  The current emperor of Japan is emperor Akihito who is the 125th emperor in Japan's history.  The prime minister, who holds the majority of the power in the government is prime minister Taro Aso.  The prime minister is selected by the emperor from a group of government officials referred to as the "diet".  The rest of the japanese government system consists of a legislative branch with a house of representatives and a house of counselors.  An executive branch also exists which consists of the prime minister, the cabinet, and various state ministries.  Finally there is the judicial branch which has a supreme court, regional courts, and local courts.