... it when a foreign business associate exhibits a general understanding of Japanese ways. The biggest concept for Westerners to grasp is that Japanese view negotiations as the beginning of a long relationship, where the formal agreement is a mere testament to that association. Americans, on the other hand, tend to view negotiations as a competitive way to sign a binding contract between two parties assigning specific rights and obligations to each party. Relationships are not of high importance in western culture. Trust, however, is a huge ingredient necessary to conduct business in Japan. It is viewed as the building block to all long term relationships. Before beginning negotiations, foreigners need to alter their thinking to build trust with their Japanese contacts. Setting up a business meeting in Japan takes more effort than a mere phone call to a secretary. Traditionally, Japanese will not do business with people whom they do not ...

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