The Importance of Networking in Japan
Last Friday a colleague and I attended the American Chamber of Commerce “Nommunication” (drinking communication) event at the Meiji Kinenkan. Immediately afterwards I made my way to the “sobetsukai” or farewell party of a colleague. On my way there, I started thinking about Networking, and how important this is in Japan.
Given the vast size and number of people in this country, many of the opportunities I have come across have been through word of mouth, or via people that I have met since arriving.
Japanese people place an almost ceremonial importance on the exchange of business cards otherwise known as “meishi-koukan”. When meeting someone for the first time, it is imperative that business cards are exchanged. If the meeting is between a large number of people, business cards are exchanged starting with the most senior person from each party, working towards the more junior staff.
Business cards are always held with both hands when being exchanged. It is customary to bow slightly whilst giving the other person your business card, at the same time taking theirs. During this, you would normally say “hajimemashite.
It is interesting that in Japanese, the name of your company is stated before your own name. This is due to the importance of “the group” in Japanese society. Therefore you describe yourself by first giving the name of the group, in this case company, to which you belong. In western culture, the focus is more on the individual; hence in English we normally introduce ourselves first by name, followed by company name.
For foreigners in Japan who speak limited amounts of Japanese, networking forms a very large part of being able to do business. In my experience the various Chamber of Commerce events are an excellent opportunity to meet other people with whom business opportunities and ideas can be discussed. Outside of the Chamber of Commerce events, a number of different industries have networking functions, which often include an interesting seminar from an industry expert. “Mobile Mondays”, organized by the Telecommunications Industry are a great example of these. I have also attended, on occasion, seminars held by the Foreign Executive Women Organization.
Perhaps my most interesting networking experience was at the end of a seminar in Nagoya for business partners, run by the company for which I work. I was reasonably new to Japan, and about 5 minutes after I entered the room designated for drinks and networking, I realized that not only was I the only foreigner in attendance, I was also the only woman. Putting aside my intense nervousness, I found a work colleague and started making the rounds. After a while my nervousness subsided, and I started to enjoy meeting a wide variety of interesting Japanese businessmen. It is certainly an experience that I will never forget.
Naturally, what you get out of any networking event, business related or otherwise, depends on what you put in. My advice to anyone attending these types of events, is to first be certain of your objective – what do you specifically want to achieve? With your objective in mind, it is then important to remember that all other attendees are there to network also. So, armed with your business cards, it’s time to put aside any nervousness and get mingling!
LIVING IN JAPAN