Running Meetings with Japanese Partners

Meetings with Japanese partners often feel slower and more structured than you might expect. Once you understand why, a little preparation turns them into productive, trusting conversations.

Prepare more than you think you need

Japanese teams generally like to know what a meeting is for before it starts. A few days ahead, send:

• An agenda with the purpose of the meeting, the topics in order and the time for each.
• A list of attendees with their roles, so your partner can bring the right people.
• What you hope to agree, if anything. A clear goal helps your partner prepare answers internally.

Avoid adding major new topics on the day. Surprises put your counterparts in a difficult position, because they may not have the authority, or the internal agreement, to respond on the spot.

Share materials in advance

Slides, proposals and data sent before the meeting give your partners time to read carefully, discuss internally and prepare questions. This is especially helpful when they are working in their second language. Keep documents clear and well organised, number your pages so people can refer to them, and consider providing key materials in Japanese as well as English. Bringing printed copies to an in-person meeting is still appreciated in many companies.

Expect decisions to take time

Many Japanese companies make decisions by building agreement across teams before anything is final. Informal consultation beforehand, 根回し (nemawashi), and formal internal approval, often through a circulated document called a 稟議 (ringi), are common. This means:

• The people in the room may not be able to give a final answer in the meeting.
• A phrase like 検討します (kentō shimasu, “we will consider it”) usually means the matter needs internal discussion. Depending on context, it can also be a polite way of signalling hesitation.
• Once a decision is made, implementation is often quick and thorough, because everyone has already agreed.

Instead of pressing for a yes, ask about the process: who else needs to be involved, what information would help, and when you can expect to hear back.

Working with an interpreter

• Brief the interpreter beforehand and send them the agenda, slides and any technical terms or names.
• Speak in short sections and pause so they can interpret each part.
• Avoid idioms, jokes and sports metaphors, which rarely translate well.
• Look at and speak to your partner, not the interpreter.
• Allow extra time. Consecutive interpreting can roughly double the length of a meeting, so plan a shorter agenda.

Online meetings

• Agree on a time that is reasonable in both time zones, and include both local times in the invitation.
• Test the meeting tool and screen sharing in advance, and send the link with the agenda.
• Allow for pauses. Silence often means people are thinking, not that they have nothing to say. Asking specific people for their view can help.
• Type key numbers, dates and names in the chat to avoid misunderstandings.
• Start and end with a brief greeting and thanks rather than jumping straight into business.

Follow up with a written summary

Within a day, send an email summarising what was discussed, any decisions, open questions and next steps, with names and deadlines. Japanese companies commonly keep formal minutes, 議事録 (gijiroku), and a clear written summary helps your partner share the content internally and confirms that both sides understood the same thing. Invite them to correct anything you got wrong.

Useful phrases

Building the relationship

Good meetings with Japanese partners rest on preparation, patience and clear communication in writing. Even a few polite phrases in Japanese show respect and help break the ice. Hanabuddies’ native Japanese tutors run corporate training focused on real business situations, and our team can translate agendas, slides and follow-up emails so both sides are working from the same page.