Employee-Employer Relations in Japan: An Analysis of Honor-Shame and Authority-Power Relations within the Modern Japanese Workplace

An analysis of interpersonal (employee-employer) relations within the contemporary Japanese business world. With emphasis placed upon the cultural and ideological facets of workplace interactions, comparisons between American and Japanese business practices are made. Such comparisons yield compelling policy implications and recommended business etiquette for men and women seeking to conduct business in Japan. In this study, corporate interaction in Japan is assessed through a cultural and sociological lens, focusing upon the primary dictates of employee-employer interactions in Japan. Case studies, a brief economic history, and personal interviews are presented to shed light upon the existing importance of honor and social order in Japan’s corporate world. Interviews with a handful of experienced executives and those familiar with business culture in Japan play a crucial role in coming to understand the modern environment of the Japanese workplace. Analysis concerning guiding principles in Japanese corporate relationships is established to suggest how businesspersons from the United States can more closely understand business in Japan. This framework finds its foundation in Japan’s cultural and economic history, presenting one lens of interpretation when analyzing contemporary business relationships.