How to Write an Apology Email to a Japanese Client

A Japanese apology email starts with the apology, not the explanation. Use the subject 〇〇についてのお詫び, apologise clearly in the first lines, explain the cause briefly without blaming anyone, say what you’ve done to fix it, say how you’ll prevent it happening again, and apologise once more at the end. Send it quickly. For a serious problem, an email isn’t enough on its own: call first, and offer to visit, then follow up in writing.

Email, call or visit?

Problem	How to apologise
Small mistake (wrong attachment, typo in a quote)	Short apology email with the correction.
Late delivery, missed deadline	Call or email at once, then a full apology email.
Quality problem, lost data, serious error	Call immediately, offer a visit, follow up with a formal written apology.

The five-part structure

Apology: このたびは、〇〇の件で多大なるご迷惑をおかけし、誠に申し訳ございません。
Cause: one or two factual sentences. Take responsibility as a company.
Response: what you’ve already done and when the problem will be solved.
Prevention: 再発防止に努めてまいります。 with one concrete measure.
Closing apology: 改めて深くお詫び申し上げます。

Key phrases

Japanese	Say it	Meaning
大変申し訳ございません。	taihen mōshiwake gozaimasen.	I am terribly sorry.
ご迷惑をおかけしました。	gomeiwaku o okake shimashita.	We have caused you trouble.
深くお詫び申し上げます。	fukaku owabi mōshiagemasu.	We deeply apologise. (Formal, written)
確認不足によるものでした。	kakunin busoku ni yoru mono deshita.	It was due to insufficient checking on our side.
早急に対応いたします。	sōkyū ni taiō itashimasu.	We will deal with it immediately.
再発防止に努めてまいります。	saihatsu bōshi ni tsutomete mairimasu.	We will work to prevent it happening again.

A short sample

件名：納品遅延のお詫び

株式会社〇〇
〇〇様

いつも大変お世話になっております。〇〇の〇〇でございます。
このたびは、ご注文の商品の納品が遅れ、多大なるご迷惑をおかけしましたことを心よりお詫び申し上げます。
弊社の出荷手配の確認不足によるもので、本日発送いたしました。明日午前中に到着の予定です。
今後は出荷前の確認を二重に行い、再発防止に努めてまいります。
改めて深くお詫び申し上げます。

This says: “We sincerely apologise for the late delivery of your order and the trouble it caused. It was due to insufficient checking in our shipping process; we sent the goods today and they should arrive tomorrow morning. We will double-check shipments from now on to prevent this happening again. Once again, our deepest apologies.”

Common mistakes

Explaining before apologising. It reads as an excuse.
Blaming a person or supplier by name.
Vague fixes with no date or action.
Machine-translated apologies. Wrong keigo can make it worse. See machine translation for Japanese.

How Hanabuddies can help

We write or check apology emails and letters in natural business Japanese, often on the same day, and provide English–Japanese interpreters for the follow-up call online or a visit in person. A tutor can also teach your team the phrases for handling complaints in online lessons.