On August 15, 1995, the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the war, Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi issued a statement as prime minister. He said that Japan, through colonial rule and aggression, had caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly in Asia. He expressed tsūsetsu na hansei, deep remorse, and kokoro kara no owabi, a heartfelt apology.
Starting the Résumé Again
For a handwritten rirekisho, the standard Japanese résumé form, the job site doda gives clear advice about mistakes: “Correction tape and correction fluid are absolutely not allowed. Rewrite it from the beginning.”
The career site of Mynavi agrees: “Basically, correcting a résumé is not acceptable. As a rule, rewrite it whenever possible.”
Clever Words
Kōgen reishoku sukunashi jin (巧言令色、鮮し仁): clever words and a pleasing face are seldom found with true virtue. The saying comes from the Analects of Confucius.
In Japanese, kōgen reishoku means to decorate one’s words and put on an agreeable face, without meaning it, in order to flatter others.
Off the Record
On the evening of February 3, 2023, Arai Masayoshi, a secretary to Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, spoke to reporters off the record. He said he would not even want to see same-sex couples, and that if same-sex marriage were allowed, some people would abandon Japan. The Mainichi Shimbun reported the remarks under his name. Kishida dismissed him the next day.
In July 2011, the minister for reconstruction, Matsumoto Ryū, berated the governor of Miyagi in front of cameras. Then he told the reporters: Kaitara, mō sono sha wa owari dakara. If you write this, that company is finished. A local broadcaster aired the scene, and he resigned on July 5.
Public Stance and True Feelings
Tatemae (建前): the principle one officially stands by. The outward view. A dictionary gives the example Ano hito wa tatemae to honne ga mattaku chigau, that person’s public stance and true feelings are completely different.
Honne (本音): one’s true thoughts or feelings, as opposed to what one says in public for the sake of harmony.
Deru kui wa utareru (出る杭は打たれる): the stake that sticks out gets hammered. A person who stands out or oversteps tends to be resented and criticized by others.
Trust Beyond the Contract
Japan’s Economic White Paper of 1992 described the ties between parent companies and their parts suppliers. These relationships, it said, tend to be long-term and continuous, unlike ordinary spot market trading. Out of cooperation, a relationship of trust is thought to emerge that does not rest on an explicit contract. Shareholdings and the dispatch of directors reinforce the ties.
The paper called the keiretsu system very efficient for the buyers and sellers involved. It also noted its costs, such as the burden on subcontractors.
Business Cards
In Japanese business etiquette, a business card, meishi, plays the role of its owner’s face. It is received with both hands, while looking at the other person and saying chōdai shimasu (I humbly receive it).
Papers are not placed on top of it. Notes are not written on it in front of its owner. A card is taken from a card case, not from a pocket or a wallet.
No First-Time Guests
To visit an ochaya, a traditional teahouse in Kyoto, a guest needs an introduction from someone the house knows. The custom is called ichigen-san okotowari, no first-time guests. Some teahouses are also homes where young maiko live.
Bills were traditionally settled on credit, twice a year, around Obon and New Year. A guide to Kyoto describes this as credit sales between people who know each other, a system that survives in the teahouses today.
Good-Faith Consultation Clause
A wide range of Japanese contracts contain a seijitsu kyōgi jōkō, a good-faith consultation clause. A typical version reads: “Matters not provided for in this contract, or doubts about its interpretation, shall be resolved by the parties through consultation in good faith, in accordance with the purpose of this contract.”
Daiwa Bank in New York
In July 1995, Daiwa Bank learned that a trader in New York had lost 1.1 billion dollars in unauthorized trading over 11 years. The United States authorities were told only on September 18. Japan’s Ministry of Finance had also kept them uninformed.
United States regulators then gave Daiwa 90 days to close or dispose of its operations in the United States.