A culture study and comparison of Japan Vs. The United States Of America By Stephen Henriksen
Introduction In this paper I will attempt to give cultural and historical background to not only the business practices of Japan Vs USA but the Japanese as a whole. I also hope to give reasoning into why these business practices are conducted so as to best overcome the challenges of conducting business between the two nations. To be successful in business and capitalize on opportunities, you must understand who it is you are working with and what factors contribute to their decision-making processes.
Japanese History and Overview
Japan is a mountainous, volcanic island nation. Its territory is composed of the four big islands of, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and more than three thousand additional small islands. The Japanese people remained relatively isolated from the rest of the world for a very long period of time, it remained completely blocked off to any foreigners until the 1500s, when missionaries and traders arrived from Europe. At that time, Japan was ruled by the shogun, warlords who were supposed to respect the Emperor. There were four social classes samurai at the top, followed by the peasants, artisans and finally merchants, ranked in order of importance to the country (peasants provide the food, artisans the goods and merchants merely dispatch them. This hierarchical system has continued to shape Japan and its business practices to this day.
…show more content…
It is the third-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest by purchasing power parity and is the world's second largest developed economy. Japan is also the third largest automobile manufacturing country and is often ranked among the world's most innovative countries. Th USA is Japans main export partner receiving over 20% of its exports and its main export being motor