Dealing with the Japanese

In meetings

•In Japan the usual greeting is a long, low bow and not a handshake. The bow has a great deal of ritual and taboo attached and is made from the waist, with back and neck stiff, hands sliding down towards the knees and eyes averted; when they visit the UK they will expect only to shake hands and you should not attempt the bow until you and your visitor are reason­ably well acquainted.

• Business cards must be exchanged on first meeting and should be offered and accepted with both hands.

• Never address the business visitor by his first name, only family and very close friends do that; use 'Mr...' or the Japanese form '...san' until invited to be more familiar.

• The Japanese have an aversion to close physical contact, so remember to avoid backslapping or holding an elbow when making a point.

• It is impolite to yawn in public, pointing is done with the entire hand and laughter does not necessarily signify joy or amusement; it can also be a sign of embarrassment.

• Japanese business people are intensely concerned to observe the hierarchy of their organisations and juniors will always be obedient to their seniors in meetings, waiting to be invited to speak and never openly disagreeing with their boss; it is often regarded as courteous to address the senior person via his junior colleague (particularly if translation is involved) and for the junior to act as the spokesman for his reply.

• It is regarded as impolite for Japanese to say 'No' and you should avoid pressing a question to the point that your visitor has little option but to do so; experience will give you the ability to use phrases that give him an honourable way of turning you down without loss of face.

Personal style

• Wives play little part in Japanese business life and your visitor will normally expect to be entertained on his own; if you are entertaining him at home, you should remember not to ask too many questions about his home life and to avoid topics that might prove embar­rassing to him in other ways.

• Japanese place the most importance on gift-giving of all business nations and many regard it as a necessity and not just an optional nicety; never surprise your Japanese guests with a gift since his inability to recip­rocate immediately may embarrass him; if you are intending to give a gift to an individual, quietly alert him ahead of time of your intention to give him a memento and present it to him in private (never give a gift in a group and ignore the others present); gifts are usually opened in private to avoid excessive emotional display.

• Gifts should be wrapped in pastel-coloured paper (never in white and never with bows); gifts in twos are supposed to bring good luck (cufflinks, pen and pencil sets, and so on) but never in fours (four is also the word for death); try to match the value of the gift to the seniority of the recipient.

• Never send red Christmas cards – funeral notices are posted in red in Japan.