Japanese Business Basics Lab

Fashion, oshare (おしゃれ), is for yourself; grooming, midashinami (身だしなみ), is for the other person. Using the two yardsticks of a clean impression and TPO, you learn to prepare so that the first few seconds of a meeting never cost you.

Someone meeting you for the first time forms an impression from your hair, clothes, shoes and belongings before you say a word. The important point here is that grooming (midashinami) and fashion (oshare) are two different things. Fashion expresses your own taste, and you are the one who decides whether it is good. Grooming is consideration shown so that you do not make the other person uncomfortable, and it is the other person and the occasion that decide whether it is good. So "I like it myself" is not a reason that works for grooming. When you cannot decide, rephrase the question as how it looks from the other person's side.

In practice, look yourself over from top to bottom before you leave for work. Is your hair out of your eyes, and is there no bed hair? Are you shaving, or if you are growing a beard, is it neatly shaped? Are the collar and cuffs of your shirt free of grime, and are the creases pressed out? Is a button about to come off? Are your nails cut short and even? Are your shoes clean, and are the heels not worn down? Smell is hard to notice on yourself, so keep perfume and hair products light, and be careful that the smell of food or tobacco has not stayed on you. Avoid re-wearing yesterday's shirt on the grounds that the smell does not bother you. Your own nose is the least reliable judge of all.

What you wear is decided by TPO, that is, by time, place and occasion. First of all, if your workplace has a dress rule, that comes before everything else. The expression "office casual" has no nationally shared definition, and the range that is permitted differs from company to company, so check your own company's standard and match it. When you are unsure about a point that no written rule covers, leaning toward the more formal side rather than the more relaxed side will not let you down. On a day with visitors or a client visit, dress one step more carefully to match them; on a day when you tour a factory or a work site, follow the conditions the other party specifies for protective gear and footwear. In this way the very same clothes can be appropriate or not, depending on the occasion.

With a suit, the fit matters more than the price. If the shoulder line and the sleeve length are right, it looks well put together even if it was not expensive. The basic rule for accessories is to keep the number down; adding a wristwatch or a ring does not add trust. For a bag, choose one large enough to hold A4 documents without folding them and able to stand up on its own on the floor, so your movements do not become awkward at a client's office. The thinking is the same on days when you work from home and join online meetings. Even though only your upper body shows on screen, you may stand up partway through, and sudden errands do happen. Change into clothes that would cause no trouble if someone outside the company saw them, and before the meeting starts, check the area the camera captures, the background, and the direction of the light so that your face is not in shadow.

Getting your grooming ready (the night before and the morning of)
Night before 1: Look at tomorrow's schedule and check for visitors, client visits or site work
Night before 2: Lay out what you will wear and check creases, loose threads and buttons
Night before 3: Polish your shoes and swap over the contents of your bag
Day 1: Tidy your hair, beard and nails
Day 2: In front of the mirror, go from top to bottom: collar, cuffs, hem, shoes
Day 3: Check scent and any smell left from your meal before you leave the house

grooming, midashinami (身だしなみ)

Putting your appearance in order so as not to make the other person uncomfortable. The standard of judgment lies not in your own taste but in the other person and the occasion.

a clean impression, seiketsukan (清潔感)

Being actually clean, plus a state that also reads as clean to the eye. Hair, nails, shoes, collar and cuffs, creases and smell are the main things to check.

TPO

The initials of time, place and occasion. The idea that the very same clothes can be appropriate or not once the occasion changes.

dress code

The rule on clothing required at a given occasion. At ceremonies and formal meals the host side may state one, and when it is stated you follow it.

office casual

A general term for commuting wear more relaxed than a suit. There is no nationally shared definition and the acceptable range differs by company, so check your own company's standard.

consideration about smell

Holding back smells from perfume, hair products, food, tobacco and the like. You grow used to your own and hardly notice it, and tastes differ from person to person.

dressing for work at home

Preparation that includes the area shown in an online meeting and the background. The idea that only the upper body needs attention collapses the moment you stand up.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

First, looking at the person, in a voice that carries. You learn the basics of greeting and the three kinds of bow used for different occasions, right down to the order of the movements.

At work there are many chances to greet people in a single day. What makes the difference here is not the content but going first. Simply saying it yourself before the other person does changes the impression. In a voice that carries, looking the person in the eye, and if possible with your hands stopped. Answering while still looking at your computer screen is little different from not answering at all. In the morning it is "ohayo gozaimasu" (good morning); to people outside the company, "osewa ni natte orimasu" (thank you for your continued business); to someone going out, "itterasshaimase" (see you when you return); to someone who has come back, "okaerinasaimase" (welcome back); when you leave first, "osaki ni shitsurei shimasu" (excuse me for leaving before you), and those staying answer "otsukaresama deshita" (thank you for your work). Note that "gokurosama" is regarded as a way for a senior to thank a junior, so not using it to a superior is a widely shared practice.

Your expression reaches the other person before your words do. When you listen, raise the corners of your mouth and turn your whole body toward them. If holding eye contact is hard for you, rest your gaze not on the eyes themselves but around the eyes or the eyebrows, and it will still come across as looking at them. If you keep looking at the papers in front of you, it is taken as not listening. In situations where you are wearing a mask, your mouth is hidden, so pay conscious attention to the expression around your eyes and the tone of your voice.

Bows fall broadly into three kinds. The light bow, eshaku (会釈), is the lightest; it is used when you pass someone in a corridor, when you enter or leave a room, and when you walk past a visitor. The standard bow, keirei (敬礼), also called futsurei (普通礼), is the standard for formal moments such as receiving a visitor, greeting people at a place you are visiting, and exchanging business cards. The deepest bow, saikeirei (最敬礼), is the deepest of all and is used for a serious apology, deep thanks, or a formal send-off. The angle at which the upper body is bent is generally said to be around 15 degrees for eshaku, around 30 degrees for keirei and around 45 degrees for saikeirei, but these figures vary between schools of etiquette, and it is not a matter of having to hit an exact number of degrees. Rather than measuring the angle, it matters more that the depth matches the strength of the feeling.

What you should get right as form is posture and order. Stand with your heels together and bend your upper body from the waist while keeping your back straight. Bending only your neck looks unsettled. Rest your hands lightly one over the other in front of you, or let them fall naturally at your sides. Pause once at the bottom, come back up slowly, and look at the person once more at the end. Speaking first and then lowering your head, gosen-gorei (語先後礼), is regarded as more polite than dojirei (同時礼), where the words and the bow happen at the same time. In a situation where you and the other person bow at the same time, starting to lower your head before they do and coming up after they do conveys respect. In a send-off, the point is that you are still seeing the person off if they turn around, so do not straighten up the moment they turn their back; see them off until they are out of sight.

Steps of a bow (the gosen-gorei form)
1: Stop walking and put your heels together
2: Look the person in the eye
3: Say the words (ohayo gozaimasu / osewa ni natte orimasu)
4: Bend your upper body from the waist, keeping your back straight
5: Pause once at the lowest point
6: Bring your upper body back up slowly
7: Look the person in the eye once more

greeting first

Speaking up yourself before the other person does. Compared with passively only answering, the impression changes greatly.

light bow, eshaku (会釈)

The lightest of the three kinds of bow. Used when passing someone in a corridor, when entering or leaving a room, and so on. Generally said to be around 15 degrees.

standard bow, keirei (敬礼), also futsurei (普通礼)

The bow that is standard for formal moments. Used when receiving a visitor, greeting people at a place you are visiting, and exchanging business cards. Generally said to be around 30 degrees.

deepest bow, saikeirei (最敬礼)

The deepest bow. Used for a serious apology, deep thanks, or a formal send-off. Generally said to be around 45 degrees.

words then bow, gosen-gorei (語先後礼)

The form of speaking first, looking at the person once, and then bowing. Regarded as more polite than dojirei (同時礼), where the words and the bow happen at the same time.

eye contact

Directing your gaze at the other person. If holding eye contact is hard for you, it is good to rest your gaze around the eyes or the eyebrows.

gokurosama (ご苦労さま) and otsukaresama (お疲れさま)

"Gokurosama" is regarded as a way for a senior to thank a junior, so the practice is to use "otsukaresama deshita" to a superior.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

Being ready five minutes early, delivering bad news fastest of all, and the one line "I am stepping away from my desk." Trust is built by stacking up these three.

First, time. The start-of-work time is not "the time you arrive at the company" but "the time you can be at your desk and start working." Travel, changing clothes and booting your computer are finished before it. A common guide is to be seated five minutes before a meeting and to check in at reception five minutes before an appointment when visiting; arriving too early is also to be avoided, because it rushes the other side's preparations. The moment you realize you are going to be late, telephone right away. There is no guarantee the other person is looking at email or messages. What you convey is the fact that you will be late, the reason, and your expected time of arrival. Only once they know the expected time can they rearrange their schedule.

Next, reporting. When you receive an instruction, repeat the main points back, confirm the deadline and the form of the deliverable, and write them down. When you report, state the conclusion first, then what happened, and last your own view, keeping each separate. Mixing fact and conjecture leads the listener to a wrong judgment. On work that takes a long time, put in an interim report at each break point. Even if the direction has drifted partway through, it is hard for the person doing it to see, and the earlier you notice the smaller the correction. And the most important thing of all: the worse the news, the faster you tell it. Reasoning such as "after I have recovered it myself," "when the boss is in a good mood," or "after I have looked into the cause" all delays the report, and in the meantime the available options shrink.

When you leave your desk, add a word. If you tell the people near you where you are going and when you plan to be back, they can respond to any calls or visitors that arrive in the meantime with "he/she is expected back around such-and-such a time." An open computer screen is no proof that you are at your desk. Long absences and trips out are reflected in the schedule or on the shared board. When you leave for the day, speak to the people still there before you go.

Last, conduct in a shared space. As a basic rule, a mobile phone in a meeting is set to silent mode before the start, placed on the desk and not touched. Even with the sound off, if you look at the screen or operate it the speaker can tell. If you have a call you cannot avoid, say so beforehand and step out. Do not write information you learned through work on your private social media. Even if you withhold the company name, the other party can sometimes be identified from the date or the place, and even if you narrow who can see it, you cannot stop it being reposted. Continuing to talk about a case in a train or a cafe on the way is the same danger. Smoke only in the designated places, and do not slip away many times during working hours. On passive smoking in the workplace, Article 68-2 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act (労働安全衛生法) requires employers to endeavor to take appropriate measures suited to the actual circumstances, in order to prevent workers from being exposed to passive smoking indoors or in an equivalent environment. Consideration about smells and noise is likewise part of caring for the people working in the same space.

Steps for when you are going to be late
1: The moment you know you will be late, work out your expected time of arrival
2: Telephone the other party (do not settle for email alone)
3: Apologize for the fact that you will be late
4: Give the reason briefly
5: Tell them your expected time of arrival
6: Ask for instructions on what to do about the schedule
7: On arrival, apologize again in person

acting five minutes early, gofun-mae kodo (5分前行動)

Managing time so that you are seated 5 minutes before a meeting and at reception 5 minutes before a visit. Arriving too early is also avoided, as it rushes the other side's preparations.

horenso (報連相), report-inform-consult

The initials of hokoku (report), renraku (inform) and sodan (consult). A report tells what is finished, informing shares facts that others need, and consulting raises what you want a judgment on.

speaking conclusion first

A way of speaking in which you state the result first and give what happened and your own view separately afterwards. It makes the next judgment easier for the listener.

interim report

Telling people how far along you are partway through the work. It lets a drift in direction be corrected while it is still small. The longer the work takes, the greater the effect.

a word when leaving your desk

Telling the people around you where you are going and when you plan to be back. It keeps calls and visitors from being left unattended.

prevention of passive smoking

Preventing exposure to other people's tobacco smoke. Article 68-2 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act (労働安全衛生法) places on employers a duty to endeavor to take appropriate measures suited to the actual circumstances.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

The Agency for Cultural Affairs' Guidelines for Honorific Language, Keigo no Shishin (敬語の指針), divides honorific language, keigo (敬語), into five kinds. We sort out whom each of sonkeigo, kenjogo I, kenjogo II, teineigo and bikago raises up.

When you telephone a client, "the other person's action," "your own action" and "the action of someone in your own company" come up one after another within a short conversation. Even for the single verb "to say," the word you choose changes: ossharu (おっしゃる) if the other person says it, moshiageru (申し上げる) if you say it to the other person, and mosu (申す) if you are stating something on your own side with reserve. Which one you choose is not decided by how strong the politeness is, but by whom that one word raises up. Get this wrong and you end up lowering the other person or elevating your own side.

The Guidelines divide honorific language into five kinds: respectful language, sonkeigo (尊敬語) (the irassharu / ossharu type); humble language I, kenjogo I (謙譲語Ⅰ) (the ukagau / moshiageru type); humble language II, kenjogo II (謙譲語Ⅱ), that is, courteous language, teichogo (丁重語) (the mairu / mosu type); polite language, teineigo (丁寧語) (the desu / masu type); and beautified language, bikago (美化語) (the osake / oryori type). Under the older three-way classification, kenjogo I and kenjogo II were lumped together as "kenjogo," and teineigo and bikago were lumped together as "teineigo." Almost all honorific-language accidents that happen at work concentrate on exactly the part that was re-divided, that is, on the difference between kenjogo I and kenjogo II.

Sonkeigo states an action, a thing or a state belonging to the other side or a third party in a way that raises up that person. In "sensei wa raishu kaigai e irassharu" (the teacher is going abroad next week) it raises up the teacher as the one acting; in "sensei no onamae" (the teacher's name) it raises up the teacher as the owner; in "oisogashii" (busy) it raises up the person who is in that state. Kenjogo I states an action or thing that goes from your own side toward the other side or a third party in a way that raises up the person it is directed to. The ukagau in "sensei no tokoro ni ukagau" (I call on the teacher) raises up the teacher, the destination. Note that kudasaru (くださる) raises up the one acting and at the same time carries the sense of receiving a benefit, while itadaku (いただく) raises up the destination and at the same time carries the sense of receiving a benefit.

Kenjogo II (teichogo) states your own side's actions and things with reserve toward the person you are speaking or writing to. Mairu (参る), mosu (申す), itasu (いたす), oru (おる) and zonjiru (存じる) belong here. The great difference from kenjogo I is that it can be used even when there is no destination fit to be raised up: "otouto no tokoro ni ukagaimasu" is a misuse because it raises up your own younger brother, whereas "otouto no tokoro ni mairimasu" is not a problem. On the other hand, since kenjogo II is basically used for your own side, using it for the other side's action, as in "dochira kara mairimashita ka," is inappropriate. It is also generally used together with masu.

Teineigo attaches desu (です) or masu (ます) to state something politely to the person you are speaking or writing to; a form with a still higher degree of politeness is (de) gozaimasu ((で)ございます). Bikago states things in a beautified way, as in osake (お酒) and oryori (お料理), and has no function of raising anyone up. Finally, there are three principles for using sonkeigo and kenjogo I: do not raise up your own side; raising up the other side is the typical use; and as for a third party, judge overall and raise them up if that is more fitting, but take care not to raise up a third party whom the other person would not regard as someone to be raised up.

The order for choosing honorific language
1 Decide whose action it is (your own side, or the other side or a third party)
2 If it is an action of the other side or a third party, use sonkeigo (sensei ga irasshaimasu)
3 If it is your own side's action, see whether there is a person at the destination who should be raised up
4 If there is, use kenjogo I (sensei no tokoro ni ukagaimasu)
5 If there is not, use kenjogo II (otouto no tokoro ni mairimasu)
6 Round off the sentence ending with teineigo (desu / masu / (de) gozaimasu)

respectful language, sonkeigo (尊敬語)

Honorific language that states an action, thing or state of the other side or a third party in a way that raises up that person. Irassharu, ossharu, nasaru, meshiagaru, otsukai ni naru, onamae, oisogashii and so on.

humble language I, kenjogo I (謙譲語Ⅰ)

Honorific language that states an action or thing going from your own side toward the other side or a third party in a way that raises up the person it is directed to. Ukagau, moshiageru, ome ni kakaru, sashiageru, otodoke suru and so on.

humble language II, kenjogo II (謙譲語Ⅱ), courteous language, teichogo (丁重語)

Honorific language that states your own side's actions and things with reserve toward the person you are speaking or writing to. Mairu, mosu, itasu, oru, zonjiru, setcho, shosha and so on. Generally used together with masu.

polite language, teineigo (丁寧語)

Honorific language that states things politely to the person you are speaking or writing to: desu and masu. A form with a still higher degree of politeness is (de) gozaimasu.

beautified language, bikago (美化語)

Words that state things in a beautified way: osake, oryori. It has no function of raising up the actor, the destination or the listener, and is placed within honorific language in a broad sense.

to raise up, tateru (立てる)

To place a person high in words when you speak of them. A term for the shared feature covering not only genuine respect but also respecting someone's position and keeping a distance.

kudasaru (くださる) and itadaku (いただく)

Words that add to sonkeigo (kudasaru) and to kenjogo I (itadaku) respectively the further sense that a benefit is given by that action.

Source: Council for Cultural Affairs report Keigo no Shishin (敬語の指針, Guidelines for Honorific Language), February 2 of Heisei 19 (2007), Chapter 2 How honorific language works, Section 1 Kinds and functions of honorific language

Honorific language has specific forms that replace a fixed word, and general forms that can be applied to many words. We cover the use of o- and go-, forms that cannot be made, and the difference between a double honorific and an honorific chain.

Sonkeigo has specific forms that replace iku, kuru and iru with irassharu (いらっしゃる), iu with ossharu (おっしゃる), suru with nasaru (なさる), taberu and nomu with meshiagaru (召し上がる), and kureru with kudasaru (下さる); and it has general forms that can be applied broadly to many words. The general forms are o(go)-...-ni naru, ...-(ra)reru, ...-nasaru, go-...-nasaru, o(go)-...-da (desu) and o(go)-...-kudasaru. What needs care here is o(go)-...-suru: this is a kenjogo I form, so it cannot be used as sonkeigo. Also, go-...-sareru is said to be, properly speaking, not an appropriate sonkeigo form.

The rule for using o (お) and go (御) is o + native Japanese word, go + word of Chinese origin. Thus yomu becomes o-yomi ni naru, dekakeru becomes o-dekake ni naru, riyo suru becomes go-riyo ni naru, and shusseki suru becomes go-shusseki ni naru. However, in bikago, o is preferred even before words of Chinese origin, as in oryori (お料理) and okesho (お化粧), and outside bikago too there are irregular examples such as okagen (お加減) and ogenki (お元気). Furthermore, some verbs cannot be combined with o or go by custom, so that o(go)-...-ni naru cannot be made. The Guidelines list o-shini ni naru, go-shippai ni naru and go-unten ni naru as examples that cannot be made, and give instead o-nakunari ni naru / nakunarareru, shippai nasaru / shippai sareru, and unten nasaru / unten sareru. Goran ni naru, oide ni naru, oyasumi ni naru and omeshi ni naru are examples of irregular ways of forming it.

The specific forms of kenjogo I include ukagau, moshiageru, zonjiageru, sashiageru, itadaku, ome ni kakaru, ome ni kakeru, goran ni ireru, haiken suru and haishaku suru. The general forms are o(go)-...-suru, o(go)-...-moshiageru, ...-te itadaku and o(go)-...-itadaku. Since o(go)-...-suru is a form that raises up the destination, it can be made only for verbs that have a person as a destination. Todokeru and annai suru have a destination, so you can say o-todoke suru and go-annai suru; but taberu and josha suru have no conceivable person as a destination, so the forms o-tabe suru and go-josha suru cannot be made. The only general form of kenjogo II is ...-itasu, and it can be used only with suru-verbs.

When you add the sense of possibility, first make the honorific form and then make the potential form. In sonkeigo that gives meshiagareru, o-yomi ni nareru and go-riyo ni nareru; in kenjogo I, ukagaeru, o-todoke dekiru and go-hokoku dekiru. Conversely, o(go)-...-dekiru is the potential of the kenjogo I form o(go)-...-suru, so it is not appropriate for the other person's action. A station's "go-josha dekimasen" should properly be "go-josha ni naremasen," and "go-josha itadakemasen" or "go-josha wa dekimasen" are also possible ways of saying it. For words that combine a verb and an adjective, such as wakari-nikui and yomi-yasui, you make only the verb part sonkeigo, giving o-wakari ni nari-nikui and o-yomi ni nari-yasui.

Using two honorifics of the same kind on one word is a double honorific, and o-yomi ni narareru is an example. Double honorifics are generally said not to be appropriate, but some are established by custom, such as o-meshiagari ni naru, o-mie ni naru, o-ukagai suru, o-ukagai itasu and o-ukagai moshiageru. By contrast, making two or more words honorific and joining them with te is called an honorific chain, and it is basically acceptable as long as each honorific is appropriate and there is nothing unreasonable in the combination. O-yomi ni natte irassharu and o-yomi ni natte kudasaru are examples. However, a chain that states the other person's action in kenjogo I and so raises up yourself is inappropriate, as in "sensei wa watashi no ie ni ukagatte kudasatta" and "watashi wa sensei ni go-annai shite itadaita"; the latter becomes appropriate if you delete shite and say go-annai itadaku.

Particles need care too. Kudasaru takes the teacher as subject and itadaku takes yourself as subject, so it is "sensei ga shido shite kudasatta" and "sensei ni shido shite itadaita." If you say "sensei ga go-shido itadaita," then, because itadaku means to receive, it ends up meaning that the teacher received guidance from some other person.

Patterns for rewording
go-riyo sareru → go-riyo ni naru / riyo nasaru / riyo sareru
go-josha dekimasen → go-josha ni naremasen / go-josha itadakemasen
o-wakari nikui → o-wakari ni nari-nikui
o-yomi yasui → o-yomi ni nari-yasui
go-unten ni naru → unten nasaru / unten sareru
go-annai shite itadaku → go-annai itadaku
o-yomi ni narareru → o-yomi ni naru

specific form, tokuteikei (特定形)

A form that makes honorific language by replacing the word itself with another word, as with iku to irassharu and tazuneru to ukagau.

general form, ippankei (一般形)

A form that makes honorific language by applying a pattern broadly to many words, as with o(go)-...-ni naru and o(go)-...-suru.

double honorific, nijukeigo (二重敬語)

Using two honorifics of the same kind on one word, such as o-yomi ni narareru. Generally not appropriate, though some are established by custom, such as o-meshiagari ni naru and o-ukagai suru.

honorific chain, keigo renketsu (敬語連結)

Making two or more words honorific and joining them with the conjunctive particle te, as in o-yomi ni natte irassharu. Basically acceptable if each honorific is appropriate and nothing is unreasonable.

o + native word, go + Chinese-origin word

The rule for using o and go: o-yomi ni naru / go-riyo ni naru. However, bikago prefers o even for words of Chinese origin, and there are irregularities such as okagen and ogenki.

o(go)-...-dekiru

The potential of the kenjogo I form o(go)-...-suru. It can be used for your own action, but not as sonkeigo expressing the possibility of the other person's action. The sonkeigo potential is o(go)-...-ni nareru.

kenjogo II in nouns

Words that present your own side modestly by prefixing gu (愚), sho (小), setsu (拙) or hei (弊), as in guken, shosha, setcho and heisha. Almost exclusively written language.

Source: Council for Cultural Affairs report Keigo no Shishin (敬語の指針, Guidelines for Honorific Language), February 2 of Heisei 19 (2007), Chapter 2 How honorific language works, Section 2 The forms of honorific language / same report, Chapter 3 Using honorific language in practice, Section 2 Choosing honorific language appropriately

The most common honorific-language accident at work is using kenjogo I for the other person's action. We look at the mix-ups the Guidelines give concrete examples of, and at where sasete itadaku belongs.

Telling a customer at reception "Tantosha ni ukagatte kudasai"; asking your superior "Sono fairu mo o-mochi shimasu ka"; writing in a notice "Go-zaitaku suru hitsuyo wa arimasen." Every one of these is taken up by the Guidelines as an example of using kenjogo I for what is the other person's action. Ukagau, o-kiki suru, o-tazune suru, o-mochi suru and go-zaitaku suru are all kenjogo I forms, so they cannot be used for a customer's or a superior's action. Each should be made sonkeigo: o-kiki kudasai / o-tazune kudasai, o-mochi ni narimasu ka, and go-zaitaku nasaru hitsuyo / go-zaitaku no hitsuyo. Even if you add kudasai, as in "tantosha ni o-kiki shite kudasai," that does not change the fact that o-kiki suru is kenjogo I, so it still cannot be used.

There are mix-ups with kenjogo II as well. Saying to Mr. Kato "Ashita wa, Tanaka-sensei no tokoro ni mairimasu" does not raise up Mr. Tanaka. This is because mairu is honorific language that states things with reserve toward the person you are talking to, and it has no function of raising up a third party who comes up in the conversation. To raise up Mr. Tanaka, say ukagaimasu. Conversely, there are expressions that contain mairu or mosu and yet are not working as kenjogo II. "Go-jisan kudasai," "o-moshide kudasai" and "o-moshikomi kudasai" are no problem when used for the other side's action. If they bother you, they can be reworded as "o-mochi kudasai" and "osshatte kudasai." "Sono yo ni moshitsutaete okimasu" is likewise a formal statement to the company president you are speaking to, and does not elevate the subordinate.

Attaching o or go to your own side is not always forbidden. When it is kenjogo I raising up the destination, as in "(sensei o) o-machi suru" and "(Yamada-san ni) go-setsumei o shitai," there is no problem at all, and there are also cases of using it as bikago, as in "watashi no okashi." What you must not do is attach it where it raises up your own side's actions or things, as in "watashi no o-kangae" and "watashi no go-ryoko"; that is the misuse of applying sonkeigo to your own side.

Both itadaku and kudasaru can be used. "Go-riyo itadaku" is kenjogo I and "go-riyo kudasaru" is sonkeigo; since the person raised up is the same and both equally express the awareness of receiving a benefit, the Guidelines judge that honorific language is used appropriately in each. It is noted, however, that reactions to the usage "go-riyo itadaku" differ from person to person.

The form (o/go)-...-(sa)sete itadaku is used when what your own side does is done with the permission of the other side or a third party, and there is a fact or feeling of receiving a benefit from that. "Kopi o torasete itadakemasu ka," said before copying the other person's book, meets these conditions. "Happyo sasete itadakimasu" at the start of a research presentation, or "Honjitsu, kyugyo sasete itadakimasu" on a posted notice, is somewhat wordy where there is no condition of permission, and "happyo itashimasu" or "kyugyo itashimasu" is more concise. "Marumaru-koko o sotsugyo sasete itadakimashita" in a self-introduction is judged inappropriate where neither permission nor benefit is felt to be present.

Decide the honorific by whose action it is
The other person's or your superior's action → sonkeigo (o-kiki ni naru / o-tazune ni naru / o-mochi ni naru)
Your own action raising up the destination → kenjogo I (o-kiki suru / o-tazune suru / o-mochi suru)
Stating your own side with reserve to the listener → kenjogo II (mairu / mosu / itasu / oru)
Adding kudasai does not turn kenjogo I into sonkeigo
Doing something with permission and receiving a benefit → sasete itadaku

mix-up, torichigae (取り違え)

Using the wrong person as the one raised up, such as using kenjogo I for the other person's action or sonkeigo for your own action. The Guidelines give many concrete examples.

o-kiki suru, o-tazune suru

Kenjogo I, the same as ukagau. It cannot be used for a customer's or a superior's action. To ask the other person to inquire, use the sonkeigo o-kiki kudasai or o-tazune kudasai.

go-jisan kudasai (御持参ください)

It contains the character for mairu, but here that element is not working as kenjogo II, so it is no problem used for the other side's action. The same goes for o-moshide kudasai and o-moshikomi kudasai.

moshitsutaeru (申し伝える)

A formal way of telling the listener that you will pass something on to someone on your own side. It does not elevate the subordinate you pass it to.

go-riyo itadaku (御利用いただく)

Kenjogo I. It expresses the other side's or a third party's action from your own side's standpoint, and, like the sonkeigo go-riyo kudasaru, is appropriate honorific language.

sasete itadaku (させていただく)

A form used when what your own side does is (a) done with the permission of the other side or a third party and (b) brings you a benefit. How acceptable it is varies with how far these conditions are met.

Source: Council for Cultural Affairs report Keigo no Shishin (敬語の指針, Guidelines for Honorific Language), February 2 of Heisei 19 (2007), Chapter 3 Using honorific language in practice, Section 2 Choosing honorific language appropriately

Even with the same person, the honorific language changes depending on whom you are speaking to. We check the treatment of your own group, thanking and praising, how to make a request, and manual honorifics, situation by situation.

Toward a client, your superior too becomes a person of your own side, that is, of the inside group, uchi (ウチ). Even Department Manager Tanaka, whom you address in honorific language every day, may simply be called "Tanaka" when you speak to someone outside the company. There is also the way of showing the rank and still treating him as uchi, as in "bucho no Tanaka" (Tanaka, our department manager); in formal situations you can say "heisha no bucho" (our company's department manager), and in more relaxed situations "uchi no bucho." What needs care is "Tanaka-bucho," which is inappropriate because it is not a way of naming him as uchi. About your own family, too, in formal situations the basic forms are chichi, haha, sofu, sobo, ani and ane.

Where the uchi-soto line is drawn changes as the listener changes. If you are master of ceremonies at a year-end party for employees only, you may raise up the president and say "Shacho kara go-aisatsu o itadakimasu." At a gathering with many people from outside the company, you raise those people up and say "Shacho kara go-aisatsu o moshiagemasu." When a subsection chief relays a section chief's remark to a department manager, one view holds that, since from the department manager's point of view the section chief is not seen as someone to be raised up, the section chief should not be raised up, and the remark should be stated in kenjogo II: "Kacho wa, kono yo ni moshite orimashita." On the other hand there is also a view that allows "osshatte imashita," on the grounds that raising up the section chief also raises up the department manager above him; even then, one might consider holding the honorifics down to something like "iwarete imashita." Note that in a school, when telling a parent that a colleague, teacher Tanaka, is out, uchi-soto awareness gives "Tanaka wa orimasen," but in opinion surveys more people support "Tanaka-sensei," and there is also the neutral method of using the job title, "Tanaka-kyoyu."

Thanking for effort and praising have a direction. "Go-kuroh sama" is basically an expression of appreciation to someone who has done work for your own side, and since such appreciation runs from a higher-ranking person to a lower-ranking one, it is better not to use it to a superior. To a superior who taught you the work, express thanks with "Arigato gozaimashita," and when a superior who was buried in paperwork alongside you goes home, something like "Otsukaresama de gozaimashita" will do. As for praise, remarking on what someone is wearing, their belongings or their looks is basically for people on close terms, so praising the necktie of a lecturer you are not particularly close to cannot be called appropriate. It is more appropriate to say that the talk was easy to follow or that you found it useful. Also, avoid asking a higher-ranking person directly about their ability, intention or wishes; put it as a question of fact, as in "Furansugo mo o-hanashi ni narimasu ka."

Forms of address and requests have their patterns too. "Anata" is nowadays generally used to equals or to lower-ranking people, and is hard to use to a higher-ranking person. Call by name someone whose name you know, and for someone whose name you do not know, you can avoid it by applying honorific language to their action, as in "O-kangae o o-kikase kudasai." On a letter's address line, writing "Yamada Ichiro-sensei onchu" when the personal name is known is inappropriate, because onchu (御中) is a side-notation showing that the letter is addressed to the people concerned inside an organization or institution. In a request, saying "Kono shigoto o shite itadakimasu" when you are not the person in charge sounds as if you held the power of decision, so leave the judgment to the other person with "shite itadakemasu ka" or "o-negai dekimasu ka." Rather than suddenly setting something down with "Kore, o-negai shimasu," simply adding a preface such as "sumimasen ga" changes the impression.

Manual honorifics for serving customers are also effective as set patterns, yet some have become fixed in an incorrect form. "Go-chumon no shina wa o-soroi ni narimashita desho ka" raises up the ordered dishes, a thing, because "o-...-ni naru" is a sonkeigo form. Say instead "Go-chumon no shina wa, soroimashita desho ka" or "Go-chumon no shina wa, ijo de yoroshii desho ka." The Guidelines point out that when a manual prescribes excessively uniform honorific use for each situation, it can instead cause displeasure or lead to honorific use that is out of keeping with the occasion, either too much or too little; at the same time they state that it is effective as a guide for people who are not yet skilled.

Rewordings by situation
"Go-kuroh sama deshita" to a superior → "Arigato gozaimashita" (change it to thanks)
To a superior you worked alongside → "Otsukaresama de gozaimashita"
"Furansugo mo o-hanashi ni naremasu ka" → "Furansugo mo o-hanashi ni narimasu ka" (ask a fact)
"Doko e irassharu tsumori desu ka" → "Dochira e irasshaimasu ka"
"Shite itadakimasu" when you are not in charge → "Shite itadakemasu ka"
"Go-chumon no shina wa o-soroi ni narimashita desho ka" → "Go-chumon no shina wa, soroimashita desho ka"

uchi and soto (ウチ・ソト), inside and outside

The distinction between the range you count as your own side and the other side outside it. Toward people outside the company, your own superior too is treated as an uchi person and spoken of without being raised up.

bucho no Tanaka (部長の田中)

A way of naming someone as uchi while showing the rank. "Tanaka" and "heisha no bucho" also work. "Tanaka-bucho" is not a way of naming him as uchi and so is inappropriate outside the company.

go-kuroh sama (御苦労様)

An expression of appreciation to someone who has done work for your own side. Since such appreciation runs from a higher-ranking person to a lower-ranking one, it is better not to use it to a superior.

otsukaresama (お疲れ様)

An expression of appreciation exchanged between people after working together. In a polite form such as "Otsukaresama de gozaimashita" it can be used to a superior as well.

tondemo gozaimasen (とんでもございません)

An expression for lightly deflecting praise or admiration from the other person. Today it is regarded as no problem to use it in such situations.

onchu (御中)

A side-notation showing that a letter is addressed not to a specific person but to the people concerned inside an organization or institution. Adding it when the personal name is known is inappropriate.

manual honorifics

Concretely prescribed wording for situations such as serving customers. Effective as a set pattern, but excessively uniform use easily leads to honorific use that is too much or too little.

Source: Council for Cultural Affairs report Keigo no Shishin (敬語の指針, Guidelines for Honorific Language), February 2 of Heisei 19 (2007), Chapter 3 Using honorific language in practice, Section 3 Using honorific language in specific situations

A business card, meishi (名刺), is treated as if it were the person's own face. If you make the order of offering, the way of receiving and the way of laying the cards on the table into one single flow, you will not be flustered in the few dozen seconds of a first meeting.

You are shown into the reception room, and as you sit waiting, the person in charge comes in. The card exchange begins from here. First stand up and move to a position where no desk or bag lies between you and the other person. Reaching across a desk to hand a card over is an abbreviated style and is avoided at a formal first meeting. Keep your card case somewhere you can take it out at once, so that no time is spent rummaging at the bottom of your bag. Before you go out, check your cards for bent corners and stains, whether the department or telephone number is out of date, and whether you are carrying more than the number of people you expect to meet.

The widely accepted practice for the order of offering is that the visiting side goes first, and the side in the lower position goes first. Between a seller and a buyer, the seller offers first. Rank is a criterion for deciding the order within one side, or when both sides have several people; the relationship of visitor and host comes first. When you hand the card over, place it on top of your card case, turn it so the writing faces the other person the right way up, and offer it with both hands at chest height. At the same time, state your company name, department name and personal name, in that order. The card is not read at the moment you hand it over, so saying it aloud has a purpose. If the other person offers theirs first, receive it first, add "moshiokuremashita" (excuse me for being slow to introduce myself), and then hand over your own.

In practice it is more often the case that both sides offer at the same time; this is called a simultaneous exchange. While offering your card with your right hand, receive the other person's card on the card case held in your left hand, and as soon as you have it, shift it into both hands. As you do so, take care not to place your fingers over the printed company name or personal name. If there is a name whose reading you do not know, it is quite all right to ask on the spot, "Shitsurei desu ga, nan to o-yomi sureba yoroshii desho ka" (excuse me, how should I read this?). If you keep on saying a guess, the wrong reading becomes fixed and is hard to correct later. In a combination of yourself and your superior with several people on their side too, the more senior people on both sides exchange first, and the more junior people exchange after them.

Once the exchange is over, take your seat. Laying the cards you received at the near edge of the table, arranged to match where each person is sitting, lets you talk without mixing up names and faces. When there is only one card, place it on top of your card case. Keep them out during the discussion, and put them away at the end in step with the other person's movements. Putting yours away first looks like a signal that you want to wrap up early. If you notice you have run out of cards, do not hide it; apologize with "Moshiwake gozaimasen, meishi o kirashite orimasu" (I am sorry, I have run out of cards), give your name aloud, and hand one over another day or send it by post. Note that a card you have received carries a personal name and contact details and so counts as personal information, so store it by the method laid down in your company and dispose of it by the prescribed procedure too.

The 5 steps of a card exchange
1: Stand up and move to a position with no desk or bag in between
2: Place your card on top of your card case, turned to face the other person the right way up
3: Offer it with both hands at chest height while stating company name, department name and personal name in that order
4: Hand yours over with the right hand while receiving theirs on the card case in your left, then shift it into both hands
5: Take your seat and lay the card at the near edge of the table, matching where each person sits

card case, meishi-ire (名刺入れ)

A holder for carrying cards that also serves as a tray when handing one over. When giving, place the card on top of the case; when receiving, hold the case in your left hand as a tray.

the rule on who offers first

The practice that the visiting side and the side in the lower position offer first. Rank is the criterion for order within one side, or when several meet several.

simultaneous exchange

The form in which both sides offer their cards at the same time. Hand yours over with the right hand, receive with the card case in your left, and shift the received card into both hands.

laying out the cards

After sitting down, placing the cards at the near edge of the table arranged to match where each person is sitting. With a single card, place it on top of your card case.

when you have run out of cards

Apologizing for the fact, giving your name aloud, and handing one over another day or sending it by post. Merely receiving in silence leaves the other person with no contact details for you.

chodai suru (頂戴する), to receive

A way of speaking used when receiving a card. Saying "chodai itashimasu" while receiving it with both hands makes the action and the words match.

managing business cards

A card you have received is personal information including name, affiliation and contact details, so store it in line with company rules and dispose of it by the prescribed method.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

Who do you introduce first? This single point decides the impression of the occasion. You learn it along two axes: inside and outside the company, and senior and junior.

When you visit a client with your superior, or bring your superior together with a visitor, the one connecting the two of them is you, the introducer. The purpose of an introduction is to make it easy for the two of them to start talking afterwards. So do not stop at giving names; add briefly the kind of information that gives a thread to pick up, such as company name, department, and the work the person handles. Conversely, do not bring up private matters such as hometown or family, or your assessment of the person, without their consent.

There are 2 principles of order. One comes from the idea of giving the information first to the person who should be raised up. Toward someone outside the company, your own company's people are the inside group, so you introduce your own company's person to the outside person first. The other concerns people within the same side: you introduce the junior person to the senior person first. If you are bringing a department manager and a new employee together inside the company, you introduce the new employee to the department manager first.

There are situations where these 2 appear to collide, namely when you bring a client's department manager together with your own company's president. Looking only at rank, the president is higher, but toward someone outside the company your own side is the inside group regardless of how high the rank is, so you introduce your own president to the client's department manager first. Rank is a criterion for deciding order within one side; it does not override the distinction between inside and outside the company. When there are several people on the same side, you introduce them in order from the most senior.

The movements of the people being introduced are settled too. Stand up before the introduction starts, and wait facing the other person while it goes on. If you produce your card partway through, or start adding remarks, the flow is broken. Give your own name after the introduction is finished, and then move on to exchanging cards. When you refer to the other person in conversation after the introduction, attach sama (様) to their name, or add their rank to their name. Calling them by rank alone, or as sochira-sama (そちら様), leaves it vague who you mean. Note that when a client asks you to introduce a contact at another company, always check with that contact and get their consent before bringing them together. Contact details belong to the person themselves and are not something to hand to a third party without permission.

Steps of an introduction
1: Stand where the two can face each other and draw the attention of both
2: Introduce your own company's person to the outside party first
3: Add briefly the company name, department, personal name and the work they handle
4: Then introduce the outside party to your own company's person
5: Once the introduction is over, each gives their name and you move on to exchanging cards

the order of introductions

The principle of introducing your own company's person to the outside person first, and the junior person to the senior person first. Think of it as giving the information first to the person who should be raised up, and you will not hesitate.

the inside group and the outside

Toward someone outside the company, your own company's people are treated as the inside group whatever their rank. That is why even your own president is introduced to the client's department manager first.

bringing people together

The act of connecting two people who have not met. Adding their affiliation and what they handle, briefly, makes it easier for the two to start talking afterwards.

how to stand during an introduction

Stand up before the introduction starts, wait until it is finished, and then give your own name. Do not produce your card or start talking partway through.

consent to be introduced

When introducing a third party, obtain that person's consent in advance. Contact details and cards are the person's own information and are not handed over without permission.

forms of address

After the introduction, attach sama to the name, or add the rank to the name. Avoid rank alone, sochira-sama, and given names.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

A visit begins before you step through the entrance. We trace the pattern along the flow of time, from making the appointment to the parting greeting.

First you make the appointment. By telephone or by email, what you convey is the same: the business, roughly how long it will take, several candidate dates and times, and, if others are coming with you, their number and names. Only when they know this can the other side decide who will attend, which room to use, and what to prepare. Give priority to the other side's convenience on the date and time. Once it is fixed, note down the date and time, the place, the department and name of the person you are meeting, and how to get there, and confirm the arrangements the day before. Report any change or cancellation the moment you know.

On the day, arrive at the building 10 minutes early, tidy yourself in the restroom or somewhere nearby, and time your appearance at reception for 5 minutes before the appointment. If you present yourself at reception a full 30 minutes early, you end up calling out a person who is still preparing, which is a nuisance rather than a courtesy. Arriving exactly on the hour makes you late by the time it takes to walk from reception to the room. If a transport disruption means you will be late, telephone them the moment you know, explain the circumstances and your expected arrival, and ask for instructions. Email is not necessarily being read, so it is not used for urgent messages.

The practice is to take off your coat before entering the other party's building. It comes from the idea of not bringing outside dust in with you. Carry the coat you have taken off over your arm with the lining facing outward, and put your umbrella in the stand at the entrance or in an umbrella sleeve. At reception, state your company name and your own name, the department and name of the person you have an appointment with, and the time of the appointment. With these 4 things, they can put you through. There is no need to explain the substance of your business at reception.

When you are shown into the reception room, sit in the seat you are offered. There is a principle that the visitor takes the lower seat, but when the host side offers you a seat, taking it without fuss is the courteous thing. If no direction is given, wait in the lower seat. Put your bag at your feet, not on the desk or on the next chair. Do not pick up materials or notices in the room, and drink what is served only after the person in charge arrives and invites you to. Stand up and greet them when they come in.

When the business is done, bring things to a close from your side. The other party is in an awkward position to say it, so if you wait, things drag on longer than they need to. Give your thanks, put your materials away, and put your coat on after you have left the building. If they see you off to the elevator, turn to face them once you are inside and keep your head bowed until the doors close. This is because the person seeing you off stays standing until the doors close. On the day after the visit, if you send the person in charge your thanks together with a summary of what was decided on the spot and what happens next, no gap in understanding is left behind.

Steps for giving your name at reception
1: Take off your coat before entering the building and carry it over your arm
2: State your company name and your own name at reception
3: State the department and name of the person you have an appointment with
4: State the time of the appointment (I have an appointment at 14:00)
5: Follow their directions, and in the reception room sit in the seat you are offered

appointment

An arrangement to visit. You secure it by conveying the business, how long it will take, candidate dates and times, and the number of people coming. Priority on date and time goes to the other side's convenience.

reception 5 minutes before

The guide is to present yourself at reception 5 minutes before the appointment. Arrive at the building 10 minutes early, tidy yourself, then head to reception. Arriving too early also rushes the other side's preparations.

handling your coat

The practice of taking it off before entering the other party's building. Carry it over your arm with the lining facing outward, and put it on again on the way back only after leaving the building.

giving your name at reception

Stating 4 things: your company name, your own name, the department and name of the person you are meeting, and the appointment time. There is no need to explain the substance of your business.

waiting in the lower seat

Sitting and waiting in the lower seat when no direction is given. However, if the host side offers you a seat, taking that seat is the courteous thing.

taking your leave, jikyo (辞去)

Departing from the place you are visiting. Once the business is done, closing things from the visiting side is the form that respects the other party's time.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

So that you never freeze over "where should I have them sit," you learn the principle that the seat farthest from the door is the upper seat, and how to apply it to a reception room, a meeting room and a Japanese-style room.

Seating order, sekiji (席次), is the practice of deciding where people sit according to their standing at that occasion. It is not fixed by law; it is no more than a convention that makes visible the wish to raise the other person up. But precisely because it is a convention, doing the opposite in ignorance can be taken as "being made light of." The basis is just one thing: the seat farthest from the doorway is the upper seat, kamiza (上座), and the seat nearest the doorway is the lower seat, shimoza (下座), also called the end seat, masseki (末席). If you understand it as the idea that the farther a place is from unsettledness, people coming and going, noise from the corridor, a door suddenly opening, the higher it ranks, you can judge for yourself even in a room you have never been in.

In a reception room, the rank of the furniture is added to this. A sofa is regarded as higher than a single armchair, so in a reception set where a sofa faces armchairs, the sofa on the side farthest from the door is the highest seat of all. Within the same sofa, the side farther from the door is higher and the side nearer the door is lower. When you have shown a visitor in, indicate with your open palm and say "dozo oku e o-kake kudasai" (please take the seat farther in) so they sit there, while your own side sits on the side nearer the door. Tea, too, is served starting from the upper seat, the visitor side first and your own side after.

In a meeting room, the common arrangement is facing each other across a long table. The row farther from the door is the visitor side and the row nearer the door is your own side. As for rank within a row, one school treats the middle, closer to the chair's seat or the facilitator, as higher, while another goes by distance from the doorway. Since opinion divides here, follow the place cards or your workplace's own way if there are any. In a room with 2 doorways, use as your reference the main entrance that people actually use most. The best seat can also change with how the room is used, such as facing the projector or having a good view of the whiteboard, so if you are unsure, showing people to their seats with a reason attached, "this side has the better view, so please," avoids friction.

In a Japanese-style room, the reference is not distance from the door but the tokonoma (床の間), the alcove. The seat in front of the alcove, that is, with your back to it, is the upper seat, and the seat near the doorway with its sliding fusuma doors is the lower seat. This follows from the idea that the position backed by the hanging scroll and the flowers has the highest rank. It is considered correct form to sit on a floor cushion, zabuton (座布団), only after being invited to, and not to walk across a cushion standing or shift its position yourself. Note that sometimes you mean to sit in the lower seat and the other side presses the upper seat on you. Show reluctance once, and if they insist again, give your thanks and sit. Continuing to refuse damages the face of the host who meant to show hospitality, and departs from the purpose of seating order.

Steps for deciding the seating order
1. Check where the doorway is. If there are several, use the entrance people mainly use as the reference
2. Treat the seat farthest from that entrance as the upper seat and the nearest as the lower seat
3. If there is a sofa and armchairs, read the sofa as the higher-ranking furniture
4. In a Japanese-style room, replace the doorway with the alcove as the reference, and treat the seat in front of the alcove as the upper seat
5. If a senior person's health or wishes call for it, give those priority over the principle

upper seat, kamiza (上座)

The seat for the person of highest standing present. In principle the seat farthest from the doorway. In a Japanese-style room it is in front of the alcove, and at a round table too it is the seat farthest from the doorway.

lower seat, shimoza (下座), end seat, masseki (末席)

The seat nearest the doorway. It is taken by whoever has a role that involves moving: serving tea, relaying messages, settling the bill. The seat of junior staff, the organizer, or the host showing people in.

reception set

The reception-room furniture combining a sofa, single armchairs and a table. The sofa is regarded as higher-ranking than the armchairs.

alcove, tokonoma (床の間)

A part of the wall of a Japanese-style room raised one step, where a hanging scroll or flowers are displayed. The seat in front of it is the upper seat. In a Japanese-style room this is the reference for seating order.

the host showing people in

The side that leads visitors to the room, offers them seats and serves tea. As a rule they sit in the lower seat and take the position near the door and the traffic route.

practice, kanko (慣行)

A convention established by having been widely done, rather than by law or regulation. Seating order is one of these, and the details differ by industry and company.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

Even in the same "car," the upper seat switches depending on who is holding the wheel. You learn the 4 cases, a taxi, a private car driven by the other person, a train and an elevator, each with its reason.

When the driver is a third party, a professional driver, as in a taxi or a chauffeured hire car, the upper seat is behind the driver's seat. It is the position where getting in and out is calmest and which is regarded as safest in the car. Next comes the seat behind the front passenger seat, then, if 3 people sit in the back, the middle, and the front passenger seat is the end seat. The front passenger seat is the end seat because whoever sits there tells the driver the destination, checks the route, settles the fare and takes the receipt. In other words "the hardest-working seat" is the end seat, and it makes sense once you see that it is decided by role rather than by the rank of the position itself.

This is exactly reversed in a private car driven by someone from the client or by your own superior. In that case the front passenger seat is the upper seat. This is because it is regarded as the passengers' courtesy not to leave the driver alone but to sit beside them and keep them company. If you carry the taxi rule of "behind the driver's seat is the upper seat" over to a private car, you end up treating the person driving for you as a chauffeur, which is rude instead. The dividing point is not the type of car or the distance, but the single question of whether the driver is a third party or the other party or someone of your own group.

On a train, the window seat facing the direction of travel is regarded as the upper seat. You can see the scenery, and there is less of the motion sickness that facing backwards tends to bring on. When using a row of 3 seats on a Shinkansen or the like, the window seat is highest, then the aisle seat, and the middle, squeezed between the two and the most cramped, is lowest. It is usual to take the aisle seat or the middle, with people passing by, yourself. Here too, though, if there is a reason such as wanting to stretch out or getting off partway, the person's own wish takes priority. Seating order is a means of hospitality, not the aim.

For an elevator, the reference is not position but the control panel. In front of the panel is the end seat, because that person has the job of pressing the destination floor, holding the doors open and watching people in and out. The back, especially the far side as seen from the panel, is the upper position. If the car arrives empty, the host showing people in gets in first, takes the panel and holds the doors open to receive the visitor. When getting out, the visitor goes first. Conversely, when several people are already aboard and there is no need to secure the panel, hold the door with your hand and let the visitor get in first. If you remember only the words "the visitor goes first" and apply them to both getting in and getting out, there is no one left to hold the doors, so remember it by why it is done.

Steps for showing a visitor into an elevator
1. Look at whether anyone is aboard the car that arrives
2. If it is empty, get in first yourself and stand in front of the control panel
3. Hold the open button and receive the visitor with "dozo" (please)
4. If people are already aboard, hold the door with your hand and let the visitor get in first
5. Press the destination floor, and on arrival press the open button and let the visitor get out first
6. Get out last yourself, indicate the direction with your hand and go on showing them the way

chauffeured hire car, haiya (ハイヤー)

A car hired complete with a driver. Since the driver is a third party, just as with a taxi, the thinking on seating order is the same.

front passenger seat

The seat beside the driver. It is the end seat if the driver is a third party, but the upper seat in a private car driven by the other party or someone of your own group; the seat that reverses with the situation.

control panel

The panel inside an elevator with the floor buttons and the open and close buttons. The person standing in front of it takes on the operating, so that is the end position.

direction of travel

The direction the train is going. The window seat facing it is regarded as the upper seat and ranks above a seat with its back to it.

traffic route, dosen (動線)

The path along which people move. When judging seating order, you look at the relation to doorways and aisles because of the idea that the farther from this route, the more settled a place is.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

The thinking behind seating order continues in the time before and after people sit down. We cover walking in corridors and on stairs, the organizer's position at a banquet, and how the round table turns at a Chinese meal.

In a corridor, the middle is regarded as the higher position and the wall side as the lower. Have the visitor walk on the middle side, while the person showing them the way walks 2 or 3 steps ahead and to one side, indicating the direction. Walking directly behind gives no way to show the route, and standing directly in front and walking backwards is dangerous. At a corner, stop once, indicate the direction with your fingers held together and your palm open, and then turn. Avoid pointing with a single raised finger. Match your walking pace to the other person, and glancing back now and then to check the distance keeps you from leaving them behind.

As for stairs, explanations differ on whether the guide goes first or last going up, and what to do going down. Since opinion is divided, rather than insisting that one is correct, the practical thing is to give priority to safety and clarity. What can be said in every case is: have the visitor walk on the handrail side; before going up, tell them where you are going, as in "I will show you to the reception room on the 3rd floor"; and do not look down on them or press right up behind them. On narrow stairs, if you add "osaki ni shitsurei itashimasu" (excuse me for going ahead) and lead the way, the argument about order stops being an issue at all.

At a meal or a banquet, the reference does not change. In a tatami room, the seat in front of the alcove is the upper seat and belongs to the guest of honour, and the seat nearest the doorway is the lower seat and belongs to the organizer. The organizer sits in the lower seat because they move about to order, to get extra drinks, to deal with the restaurant staff and to settle the bill. The order of seating people is settled too: the other attendees sit after the guest of honour has taken their seat. Showing people where to leave coats and large bags first saves a scramble after they have sat down.

A Chinese round table is round and so easy to get confused about, but here too the seat farthest from the doorway is the guest of honour's, and the seat nearest the doorway is the host's, the person who invited everyone. The seat to the guest of honour's left is the 2nd seat and the one to their right the 3rd, and from there the ranking falls as the seats move alternately left and right away from the guest of honour. In Japan this follows the idea of "left is higher," though in international protocol and the Chinese style the right is sometimes higher, so follow the place cards or the host's directions if there are any. The revolving tray is generally turned clockwise starting from the guest of honour, and once you have served yourself, stop it where it is easy for the next person to reach. A standing buffet party has no seating order to speak of, but greetings to the guest of honour and to senior people are still needed, and any chairs set out should be thought of as for resting.

Steps the organizer takes at a meal
1. Before the start, check with your own eyes where the doorway and the alcove are
2. Decide that the seat farthest from the doorway is the guest of honour's
3. Place the senior people to the guest of honour's left, then to their right
4. Sit yourself in the seat nearest the doorway, securing a position where you can talk to the staff
5. Show each arrival from the coat rack to their seat
6. Wait until the guest of honour is seated, then have the other attendees sit

guest of honour, shuhin (主賓)

The guest most to be raised up at that gathering. At a meal they are shown to the upper seat, and seating, greetings and the toast are all built starting from the guest of honour.

organizer, kanji (幹事)

The person who arranges and runs the gathering and handles the bill. They sit in the lower seat nearest the doorway so as to move about easily.

left is higher, sajoi (左上位)

The idea that between equals the left side is higher. It is why, at a round table, the seat to the guest of honour's left is the 2nd and the one to their right the 3rd. In international protocol and the Chinese style the right is sometimes higher.

revolving tray

The turning platform set in the middle of a round table. Turn it clockwise starting from the guest of honour, and once you have served yourself, stop it where it is easy for the next person to reach.

standing buffet style

A style where people eat, drink and talk standing rather than seated. There is no seating order, but greetings to the guest of honour and to senior people are not left out.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

Because your face cannot be seen, your voice and your words alone become the impression of the company. We firm up the pattern of answering, how fast you pick up, the first words, transferring, and putting on hold, as a set of steps.

One accepted guide is to answer a call to the company within 3 rings. If you go past that, add the words "omatase itashimashita" (thank you for waiting) before giving your name. If you give your name as though nothing had happened, the caller feels the time they waited has been treated as though it never was. For the opening words, follow "hai" with the company name, as in "Hai, Marumaru Kabushiki-gaisha de gozaimasu." In business calls, "moshi moshi" is not used. It is taken as a casual way of calling out, and it also delays the naming, creating a stretch of time in which the caller does not know whom they have reached.

Preparation before you pick up the handset is, in fact, where it is won or lost. Keep notepaper and a pen permanently by the phone, and hold the handset in your non-dominant hand so your writing hand is free. If you go looking for a pen after picking up, those few seconds cost you the company name or the person's name. When the caller gives their name, repeat it back to confirm and give your greeting: "Marumaru Kabushiki-gaisha no Sankaku-sama de irasshaimasu ne. Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu." Repeating back serves to prevent mix-ups even when you did hear correctly, so do not skip it.

When you put the call through to the person asked for, always put it on hold before you call out to them. Covering the mouthpiece with your hand can still let office conversation reach the caller, and once an internal remark like "so-and-so is visiting today" leaks out, there is no taking it back. When transferring, tell the person who the call is from before handing it over. About 30 seconds is the guide for a hold; if it looks like going beyond that, come back on once and either explain the situation with "moshiwake gozaimasen, mo sukoshi o-jikan o itadakemasu desho ka" (I am sorry, may I ask you for a little more time) or propose calling back. Left on hold, the caller cannot tell whether to hang up or to wait, and grows uneasy.

One more thing to watch in transferring is how you refer to your own company's people. Toward someone outside the company, your own superior is treated as a person of your own side, so using an honorific title or sonkeigo, as in "Tanaka-bucho wa seki o hazushite irasshaimasu," is an error. The Agency for Cultural Affairs' Guidelines for Honorific Language take up the situation of speaking to a client about your own Department Manager Tanaka, and explain that there is no problem in saying "Tanaka," that you may also show the rank and say "bucho no Tanaka," but that the form "Tanaka-bucho" is inappropriate because it is not a way of naming him as one of your own side. "Bucho no Tanaka wa, tadaima seki o hazushite orimasu" is the safe form.

Answering the telephone, 5 steps
1. Pick up within 3 rings and follow "hai" with the company name
2. Hear the caller's company name and personal name, repeat them back to confirm, and give your greeting
3. Hear the business, and write down dates and times, quantities and proper nouns on your notepad
4. If the person asked for is there, put the call on hold, say who is calling, and hand over
5. If you dealt with it yourself, repeat the main points back, give your own name, and hang up

3 rings

The number of rings taken as the guide for answering. If you exceed it, add "omatase itashimashita" to your opening words.

the person asked for, najibito (名指し人)

The person inside the company whom the caller has named as the one they want to speak to. Before transferring, tell them who is calling.

hold

The function that pauses the call and has the other person wait. The guide is about 30 seconds; if you exceed it, come back on once and explain the situation.

repeating back, fukusho (復唱)

Repeating the company name, personal name, date and time, and quantity you heard, to confirm them. Done even when you heard correctly, to prevent mix-ups.

uchi and soto (ウチとソト), inside and outside

The distinction between people of your own side and everyone else. Toward someone outside the company, your own superior too is treated as your own side and given no honorific title.

the opening words

The first words you say on answering. The basic form is "hai" followed by the company name; "moshi moshi" is not used in business.

Source: Council for Cultural Affairs report Keigo no Shishin (敬語の指針, Guidelines for Honorific Language), February 2 of Heisei 19 (2007), Chapter 3 Using honorific language in practice / ※ the rest is commercial practice with no public regulation

It is exactly when the person asked for is away that the one answering shows their skill. We cover how to say someone is out, the pattern of a message note, and the preparation for calling out yourself.

When the person asked for is away, first say that they are away and when they are expected back. The key is to pair the fact with a guide, as in "Ainiku seki o hazushite orimasu. Juugo-ji goro modoru yotei de gozaimasu" (I am afraid he is away from his desk. He is expected back around 15:00). There is no need to explain the reason for the absence in detail, and you avoid passing on private circumstances as they are, such as "he is out on personal business" or "she has gone to the hospital." Likewise avoid giving out the person's mobile number without permission; if it is needed, make it a call back instead. On that basis, ask whether they would like a call back, whether you may take a message, or whether you may hear the business on the person's behalf.

When you take a message, make a note that shows 5 things: when, from whom, about what, what they want done, and who took it. If any one of these 5 is missing, the person asked for has to go and ask someone in order to check, and the work is done twice. Numbers in particular, such as dates and times, quantities, amounts of money and telephone numbers, are easily misheard, so always repeat them back. For confusable ones like "1 o'clock" and "7 o'clock," rewording as "13:00, is that right" or "7 p.m., is that right" makes it certain. Finally, giving your own name with "watakushi, Sankaku ga uketamawarimashita" (I, Sankaku, have taken your message) reassures the caller, who then knows whom they spoke to.

It also matters not to let the note end at being placed on a desk. A note left there gets lost among the papers. When the person asked for returns, hand it to them and give the main points aloud as well. If the business is urgent, do not wait for them to come back; let them know first by mobile phone or chat. Even if they are in a meeting, check by when a response is needed and then find a form your workplace can act on, such as slipping a note in to them. If you settle on "they are in a meeting, so do nothing," you can end up missing the deadline.

When you make a call, before dialing, set out the business, the conclusion and the necessary figures as bullet points, and gather the materials to hand. Since you are asking for a slice of the other person's time, sorting out your thoughts while talking is best avoided. When you get through, give your company name and your own name, and when the person asked for takes over, give your name again and ask about their convenience with "tadaima o-jikan yoroshii desho ka" (do you have a moment now?) before going into the business. The time of day needs consideration too. Just after work starts, the lunch break and just before the end of the day are often busy, so avoid them, and avoid calling before work starts or after it ends, as that falls outside the other person's working hours. On hanging up, it is generally said that the caller hangs up first, but if the other person is a client or a senior, wait for them to hang up, then press the hook quietly with your finger before setting down the handset.

Steps for making a call
1. Set out the business, the conclusion and the necessary figures as bullet points, and put the materials to hand
2. Check the other party's company name, department, personal name and telephone number
3. Call at a time avoiding just after work starts, the lunch break and just before the end of the day
4. When you get through, give your company name and your own name and say whom you want
5. When the person asked for takes over, give your name again and ask whether it is a good time to talk
6. Give the business starting from the conclusion, and repeat back what has been decided to confirm
7. Give your thanks and, as the caller, set the handset down quietly

message note

A record for passing the content of a call to the person asked for. Write 5 points: the date and time it was taken, the caller, the business, what the caller wants, and who took it.

calling back, orikaeshi (折り返し)

Ringing the person back from your side. Check their number and a convenient time of day, and give a guide as to roughly when the call will come.

uketamawaru (承る), to receive

The kenjogo of "to receive" and "to hear." Saying "watakushi, Sankaku ga uketamawarimashita" makes clear who dealt with the call.

asking about their convenience

Checking with "tadaima o-jikan yoroshii desho ka" before going into the business. If they are tied up, call again another time.

easily misheard numbers

1 o'clock and 7 o'clock, 4 and 7, and the like. Repeating them back in reworded form, as "13:00" or "7 p.m.," prevents mix-ups.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

Complaints, callers you cannot make out, mobile phones, wrong numbers. The worse a situation goes, the more you need a pattern. We also sort out the traps of manual honorifics.

A complaint call is largely decided by the first response. First listen through to the end without interrupting, and note down the main points. If you point out partway through that "that is a misunderstanding," the caller feels they were not heard and things get tangled. Once you have heard it all, apologize for having caused them unpleasantness. This is separate from admitting responsibility in full; it is the part you can say even at a stage where the facts are not yet known. On that basis, confirm the facts in the order of when, what, and what happened, and separate what you can answer on the spot from what needs checking. Answering by guesswork what you cannot answer is the most dangerous thing of all: it later needs correcting and makes the problem bigger. Give the deadline for the call back and the person who will handle it, give your own name, and share it with your superior and the department concerned immediately after the call.

When the caller's voice is hard to make out, avoid wording that makes them the subject, such as "your voice is too quiet to hear," and use wording that puts the cause on the line: "osore irimasu, sukoshi o-denwa ga toi yo desu" (excuse me, the line seems a little faint). Pretending you heard and pressing on is the worst thing, as the content is then fixed in a wrong form. When you do not know the characters of a name, ask on the spot too: "osore irimasu ga, dono yo na ji o o-kaki ni narimasu ka" (excuse me, how is it written?). Surnames with several possible spellings, such as Saito, especially need checking, since writing a guess makes a record addressed to a different person.

When you call someone's mobile phone, you cannot tell from your end whether they are travelling or in a meeting. Give your name and then check with "tadaima o-hanashi shite mo yoroshii desho ka" (may I speak with you now?) before going into the business. If they do not answer, avoid ringing again and again with no interval; leave some time, or leave your company name, your name, an outline of the business and a call-back number on the voicemail. When a wrong number comes in, too, since it is a call to your company, the impression of how it is handled becomes the impression of the company. If the caller says the number, compare it with yours and tell them the difference; do not hang up in silence or blame the caller's carelessness.

Finally, wording. Among what are called manual honorifics there are phrasings that sound polite but are in fact off in meaning. The "...no ho" in "tantosha no ho ni o-tsunagi shimasu" is properly a way of indicating a direction, or one side out of several, so using it to blur the object is best avoided. The "...ni narimasu" in "kochira ga shiryo ni narimasu" is a way of expressing change, so it does not suit explaining something that does not change. "Yoroshikatta desho ka" is also regarded as unnatural, in that it uses the past tense for something you are about to confirm. The Agency for Cultural Affairs' Guidelines for Honorific Language likewise cite "go-chumon no shina wa o-soroi ni narimashita desho ka" as an example of a manual honorific, explain that the sonkeigo form "o-...-ni naru" mistakenly raises up the goods, and state that saying "soroimashita desho ka" and the like will do. Note that a form with "o" attached to your own action, such as "o-machi shite orimasu," is kenjogo I raising up the other person, so it is no problem.

Steps for taking a complaint call
1. Listen through to the end without interrupting, and note the main points and the sequence of events
2. Apologize for having caused them unpleasantness
3. Confirm the facts in the order of when, what, and what happened
4. Separate what you can answer on the spot from what needs checking
5. Do not answer by guesswork; give the deadline for the call back and the person who will handle it
6. Give your own name, and share it with your superior and the department concerned immediately after the call

first-line response

The handling done by whoever first takes a complaint. Its 4 pillars are listening, apologizing, confirming the facts, and promising a deadline for the call back.

o-denwa ga toi (お電話が遠い), the line is faint

A set expression for when the caller's voice is hard to make out. Putting the cause on the line rather than on the caller keeps it from sounding like blame.

manual honorifics

A general term for phrasings that have spread as set patterns in customer service. They are taken up in the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Guidelines for Honorific Language too, and some are wrong as honorific forms.

humble language I, kenjogo I (謙譲語Ⅰ)

Honorific language that raises up the person your own action is directed to, such as o-machi suru and ukagau. Attaching "o" to your own action is not an error here.

voicemail

The function for leaving your business when the other person does not answer. Record your company name, your name, an outline of the business and a call-back number, concisely.

Source: Council for Cultural Affairs report Keigo no Shishin (敬語の指針, Guidelines for Honorific Language), February 2 of Heisei 19 (2007), Chapter 3 Using honorific language in practice / ※ the rest is commercial practice with no public regulation

The impression of the company is all but decided in the few dozen seconds between noticing a visitor and connecting them to the person they want. We turn into a pattern how to ask for their name, what to say when they must wait, and how to move when the person is out.

When you notice a visitor, stop what you are doing, stand up, look them in the eye and receive them with "irasshaimase" (welcome). What matters here is speed rather than content. Reacting only once they have spoken to you, or staying seated and settling for a light bow, remains, from the visitor's side, as "a few seconds of being ignored." Turning your whole body toward them the moment someone stands at reception, that alone all but decides the impression.

Next, confirm the company name and personal name, the business, and whether there is an appointment. Ask in the form of a request, after putting in a cushioning phrase, as in "osore irimasu ga, onsha-mei to o-namae o o-ukagai dekimasu desho ka" (excuse me, may I ask your company name and your name?). When they have given their name, repeat it back: "Marumaru Shoji no Sato-sama de irasshaimasu ne." Repeating back is the only means of erasing a mishearing in front of the person, and at the same time it signals "I have received that clearly." Whether there is an appointment is something to check after they have given their name; it must not be made a condition before they give it.

There are rules for the wording when you put someone through. When speaking to a person outside the company about a person of your own company, you treat that person as your own side, that is, as uchi, so no honorific title is attached. Rather than "Tanaka-bucho ga tadaima mairimasu," say "Bucho no Tanaka ga tadaima mairimasu." The Agency for Cultural Affairs' Guidelines for Honorific Language likewise state that when treating a superior as uchi you may call him "Tanaka" or "bucho no Tanaka," and that the form "Tanaka-bucho" is inappropriate because it is not a way of naming him as uchi. When you connect to the person on an internal line, tell them the visitor's company name, personal name, business, whether there is an appointment, and where they are waiting.

When the person is out, do not let the conversation end at "orimasen" (he is not here). When will they be back; would another person do; may you take a message; would a call back be acceptable. Setting these four out and letting the visitor choose is part of the handling. If you are entrusted with a card or documents, state that you are taking them into your keeping, give your department and your name, and then receive them. Showing the visitor who took them is itself where responsibility lies.

The 6 steps of handling reception
1. Within 3 seconds, stop your hands, stand up, look them in the eye and say "irasshaimase"
2. "Osore irimasu ga, onsha-mei to o-namae o o-ukagai dekimasu desho ka"
3. Repeat back: "Marumaru Shoji no Sato-sama de irasshaimasu ne"
4. Confirm the business and whether there is an appointment
5. Excuse yourself with "kakunin shite mairimasu node, shosho o-machi itadakemasu desho ka"
6. Tell the person concerned the company name, personal name, business, whether there is an appointment, and where the visitor is waiting

putting through, toritsugi (取り次ぎ)

Connecting a visitor or a piece of business received at reception or on the phone to the person concerned inside the company. It includes conveying who came and why in a form the person can act on.

appointment

A meeting arranged in advance. Since reception acts differently depending on whether there is one, always check after the visitor has given their name.

cushioning phrase

Words placed before a request or a refusal to soften the impact, such as "osore irimasu ga" and "sashitsukae nakereba."

repeating back, fukusho (復唱)

Repeating on the spot the company name and personal name the visitor gave, to confirm them. A mishearing can be corrected in front of the person.

naming your own side

The way of naming a person of your own company to someone outside it without an honorific title, as in "bucho no Tanaka."

message note

A paper record of business for someone who is absent. Write the caller's company name, personal name, contact details, the business, the date and time it was taken, and the name of the person who took it.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

The principle of showing the way is "walk a little ahead of the visitor, but never block their view." Once you have settled where to stand and what to say in the four situations of corridor, stairs, elevator and door, no situation leaves you at a loss.

The basis of showing the way is to walk 2 or 3 steps ahead and to one side of the visitor. Ahead and to one side lets you show the direction with your body and still not block the visitor's view. Walking directly in front means keeping your back to them and blocking the path as well. Walking alongside is not leading, and from behind and to one side you leave the visitor to find the way. Look back now and then to match your pace, and just before a corner say "kochira de gozaimasu" (this way). When you indicate a direction, turn your palm up with your fingers together and show it with your whole arm. Gestures such as pointing with a single index finger or indicating with your chin are avoided when directed at a person.

Before you start, state the destination and the floor: "yon-kai no dai-ichi ousetsushitsu e go-annai itashimasu" (I will show you to Reception Room 1 on the 4th floor). This alone lets the visitor know where they are being taken, and the calm of the walk is quite different. On stairs, it is said to take care not to stand where you look down on the visitor, and many explanations say that going up the visitor goes first and going down the guide goes first. However, since explanations of that order differ by company and by training course, take it that the 2 things certainly common to all are stating the destination floor first and saying "ashimoto ni o-ki o tsuke kudasai" (please watch your step).

With an elevator, the movements differ between an empty car and one with people already in it. When it is empty, say "osaki ni shitsurei shimasu" (excuse me for going first), get in first as the guide, stand in front of the control panel and hold the doors. This is because letting the visitor in first leaves the working of the doors to the visitor. When people are already aboard, hold the door from outside with your hand and let the visitor get in first, then get in after them and stand near the control panel. Getting out, in either case, the guide presses the open button and holds the doors and the visitor gets out first. That the position in front of the control panel is the guide's also matches the fact that, in the thinking on seating order, the space in front of the panel is the end seat.

Doors reverse the movements depending on which way they open. With an outward-opening door that you pull toward you, the guide who opened it can keep holding it from that same position, so you stay on the outside and let the visitor through first with "dozo." With an inward-opening door that you push away from you, you cannot keep holding it while standing outside, so the guide says "shitsurei shimasu" and goes in first, holding the door from inside to let the visitor through. The criterion to remember is not "the visitor first" but "do not let the visitor touch the door." That one rule gives the answer for both directions.

What to say while showing the way
State the destination first: "yon-kai no dai-ichi ousetsushitsu e go-annai itashimasu"
"Kochira e dozo" while indicating the direction with your palm turned up
Just before a corner, "kochira de gozaimasu"
On stairs, "ashimoto ni o-ki o tsuke kudasai"
At an elevator, say "osaki ni shitsurei shimasu" and get in first
In the reception room, offer the upper seat with "kochira e o-kake kudasai"

ahead and to one side

The position diagonally in front, relative to the visitor's direction of travel. The guide's basic standing position: it shows the direction without blocking the view.

the guiding hand

The gesture of turning the palm up, keeping the fingers together and showing the direction with the whole arm. Pointing with a single finger is avoided.

outward-opening door

A door you pull toward you. The guide pulls it, holds it and lets the visitor through first.

inward-opening door

A door you push away from you. The guide goes in first, holds it from inside and lets the visitor through.

control panel

The face of an elevator with the floor buttons and the open and close buttons. In seating order it is the end position, and it is where the guide stands.

upper seat, kamiza (上座)

The seat on the side far from the entrance. In a reception room you offer this one to the visitor.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

The real work starts once you have shown them into the reception room. Offering the upper seat, the order of serving tea and where to place it, handling the saucer, and seeing people off until the doors have fully closed, all made into one continuous set of movements.

Once you have shown them into the reception room, indicate with your hand the seat on the side far from the entrance, that is, the upper seat, and offer it with "kochira e o-kake kudasai" (please sit here). The seat near the entrance is the lower seat and is not a seat you show a visitor to. If the visitor chooses another seat, do not press them. If they still have their coat on, offer with "o-azukari itashimasu" (may I take that for you). The handling extends as far as offering; whether to hand it over is for the visitor to decide. Going round behind them without a word and taking the coat off them is an act of touching their body and is not permissible.

When you carry the tea in, first get to a state where you can set the tray down on a side table or the like in front of the door, then knock, wait for an answer, say "shitsurei itashimasu" and enter. You wait for an answer so as not to cut off the visitor's and the staff member's conversation abruptly. As for the order of serving, start with the most senior person on the visitor side, and move to the most senior on your own side only after you have finished serving everyone on the visitor side. Serving your own department manager before the visitor puts your own group above the guest. As for where to place it, in front of the visitor and slightly to their right is the basis; when documents are spread out, do not move them without permission, but excuse yourself with "kochira ni okasete itadakimasu" (I will set it here) and place it in an empty spot.

Carry the teacup and the saucer separately, and put the cup on the saucer just before setting it down. If you carry them assembled, tea spilt by the tilt wets the saucer, and you end up putting a dirty saucer in front of the visitor. If the cup has a pattern, turn it so the pattern faces the visitor squarely, and handle it with both hands. It is also said that a saucer with a wood grain should be placed with the grain parallel to the visitor, but explanations of details of this kind differ by company and region, so first make firm the points of carrying them separately, serving with both hands, and serving the guest side first. When you have finished serving, hold the tray at your side, bow at the door and close it quietly.

How far you go in seeing someone off, ending in front of the reception room, going out to the elevator hall, going out to the entrance, or seeing them to their car, varies with your relationship and with company custom. Whatever the range, the way it ends is common to all. At an elevator, say "honjitsu wa arigato gozaimashita" (thank you for today) and wait with your head bowed until the doors have fully closed. Raising your head just before they close appears, to the visitor's eyes, as cutting things short. Before they leave, check that any coat or belongings you took have been returned and that nothing has been left behind. Once they have gone, it cannot be undone.

The 7 steps of serving tea
1. Knock 2 or 3 times at the door, wait for an answer, and say "shitsurei itashimasu"
2. Set the tray down for a moment on a side table or on the lower-seat side
3. Put the cup on the saucer and turn the pattern to face the visitor squarely
4. Serve from the most senior on the visitor side, and move to your own side only after finishing the visitors
5. Place it with both hands in front of the visitor and slightly to their right, clear of any documents
6. When you have finished serving, hold the tray at your side
7. Bow at the door, say "go-yukkuri dozo" (please take your time) and close it quietly

upper seat, kamiza (上座)

The seat on the side far from the entrance. In a reception room you offer this one to the visitor.

lower seat, shimoza (下座)

The seat on the side near the entrance. Taken by the side that goes in and out and relays messages.

tea saucer, chataku (茶托)

The saucer laid under the teacup. Carry it separately from the cup and put the cup on it just before serving.

side table

A small table placed in a corner of the reception room and the like. Used as a place to set the tray down for a moment.

items taken into keeping

Coats, business cards, documents and the like entrusted to you by a visitor. They become the responsibility of whoever received them, so give your name before receiving.

seeing off, miokuri (見送り)

Accompanying a departing visitor and sending them on their way. You keep your head bowed until a clear end point, such as the doors closing or the car going out of sight.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

A document sent outside the company is made of parts with a fixed order and fixed pairings. We cover the skeleton you must not break: the pairing of opening and closing words, where the seasonal greeting goes, and the itemized block that sets out the substance as a list.

An external document runs from the top in this order: date of issue, addressee, sender's name, subject line, main text, itemized block, the word ijo (以上, that is all), and the contact details of the person handling it. Write the date on which the document was sent and put it at the top. It is a record that gives you the clue when you look the matter up later. The usual form is the addressee on the left and the sender's name on the right. Make the subject line a name that shows in one line what the document is about and what kind of document it is, as in "Invitation to the new product briefing." The Agency for Cultural Affairs' Principles for Drafting Official Documents likewise states that a title should show the subject and the character of the document, using words such as report, proposal, reply and holding of an event, and this thinking applies to the subject line of an external document just as it stands.

The main text starts with the opening word, tougo (頭語), continues with the preamble, the substance and the closing passage, and ends with the closing word, ketsugo (結語). The preamble is the seasonal greeting and words asking after the reader's well-being; the substance is the main business, opened with "sate" (now then); the closing passage is the parting greeting. Japan Post's Basic Knowledge of Letters likewise sets out the structure of opening word, preamble, main text, closing passage and the trailing block, and explains that the closing word is made to correspond to the opening word. Place the seasonal greeting at the entrance to the preamble and choose an expression that suits the season. If you use the same expression all year round, it stops being a seasonal greeting.

Opening and closing words are fixed in pairs. Japan Post's list gives, for haikei in an ordinary letter, keigu, keihaku and haigu; for kinkei in a formal letter, kinpaku, kingen and keihaku; for kyukei in an urgent letter, sosou and sousou; for haifuku in a reply, keigu and haito; and for the abbreviated zenryaku, sosou, sousou and fuitsu. Zenryaku is a declaration that "I omit the preamble," so writing zenryaku and then going on with a seasonal greeting contradicts itself. Once you have written an opening word you must close with the corresponding closing word; it cannot be omitted. Zenryaku is an abbreviated style, so it is not used for a formal letter of request to a first-time client or to a senior.

Information the reader will pick out and use, such as date and time, place, amount and number of copies, is not buried in the main text but put into the itemized block. After the closing word, write ki (記, note) in the center, list the items below it as bullet points, and close with ijo (以上) aligned to the right. Opening with ki and closing with ijo is a pair; you never have only one of them. If you are going to carry on in prose, there was no point in making an itemized block in the first place, so once you set one up, always make it a list.

The order of an external document
1. Reiwa ○ year, ○ month, ○ day (right-aligned, date of issue)
2. Marumaru Co., Ltd., Sales Department, Department Manager Yamada Ichiro-sama (left-aligned)
3. Sankaku Co., Ltd., General Affairs Department, Tanaka Hanako (right-aligned)
4. Invitation to the new product briefing (centered, subject line)
5. Haikei. We are delighted to hear of your continued prosperity. (opening word and preamble)
6. Sate, on this occasion our company ... (substance)
7. This is, in brief, our invitation to you in writing. Keigu (closing passage and closing word)
8. Ki / date and time, place and what to bring as bullet points / Ijo (right-aligned)

opening word, tougo (頭語)

The word placed at the start of a letter or external document: haikei, kinkei, zenryaku, haifuku and so on. It forms a pair with the closing word.

closing word, ketsugo (結語)

The word that closes the main text: keigu, kinpaku, sosou and so on. The corresponding word is fixed for each opening word.

preamble, zenbun (前文)

The part placed after the opening word, made of the seasonal greeting and the greeting asking after the reader. When you use zenryaku you leave this out.

substance, shubun (主文)

The main-business part, opened with "sate" or the like. It states the purpose of the document itself.

itemized block, kakigaki (記書き)

The part where you head with ki (記) after the closing word and gather the date, place and so on as bullet points. Closed with ijo (以上).

subject line, kenmei (件名)

The heading showing the subject and character of the document in one line. The Principles for Drafting Official Documents call it the title.

Source: Japan Post, Basic Knowledge of Letters: The basic format of a letter (checked August 2026)

For an internal document, the right answer is to cut the greetings and leave only the essentials. The honorific title in an address, on the other hand, cannot be cut. We firm up the use of sama, onchu, kakui and sensei, and the front of an envelope.

Internal documents, that is, notices, reports, ringisho (稟議書, circulated approval drafts), minutes and the like, are practical tools exchanged within the same organization. No seasonal greeting, no opening word, no closing word is needed. Arrange them in the order of subject line, conclusion, reasons and details, and keep the honorific language to about the desu / masu level. The more people read it, the faster and more accurately a short document gets through. The Agency for Cultural Affairs' Principles for Drafting Official Documents likewise lists keeping each sentence short and keeping one point per sentence. Putting the conclusion last piles up reading time in proportion to the number of readers.

The honorific title is decided by the kind of addressee. For an individual, sama (様); for an organization or department, onchu (御中); when sending the same document to several people, kakui (各位). The commonest error here is piling honorific titles on top of each other. Kakui is itself an honorific title equivalent to "everyone," so you do not write kakui-sama or kakui-dono. For people addressed as sensei (先生), such as doctors, teachers and lawyers, sensei works as the honorific title, so you do not write sensei-sama either. Japan Post likewise states that piling titles up when addressing a body or department, as in "Marumaru-ka onchu Yubin Taro-sama," is an error.

The case that is especially easy to get wrong is writing an organization name and a personal name side by side. Onchu is a side-notation meaning that the letter is addressed not to a specific person but to the people concerned inside that organization or institution, so if the personal name is known, it contradicts that. The Guidelines for Honorific Language also treat the form "Marumaru Chugakko Yamada Ichiro-sensei onchu" as inappropriate and state that "Marumaru Chugakko Yamada Ichiro-sensei" will do. One honorific title per addressee. Settle it as onchu when addressing an organization and sama when addressing an individual.

On the front of an envelope, do not abbreviate the company name to (kabu) but write the full formal name, Kabushiki-gaisha Marumaru. Whether kabushiki-gaisha comes before or after the name is part of the company's formal name itself, and not something the writer may swap round for readability. Writing the personal name in the center and slightly larger makes it easier to balance. Stick the stamp in the position that is the top left when the envelope is held portrait. Words showing the contents or how it should be handled are generally added at the bottom left of the front: shinten (親展) when you want the addressee to open it personally, or something like seikyusho zaichu (請求書在中, invoice enclosed) to show the kind of document. On the back, write the sender's address and name in slightly smaller characters than on the front.

Steps for writing the front of an envelope
1. Write the postal code inside its boxes
2. Write the company name in full as Kabushiki-gaisha, not abbreviated
3. Write the department and job title, and write the personal name in the center and slightly larger
4. Only one honorific title per addressee. Sama for an individual, onchu for an organization
5. Add words showing the contents or handling at the bottom left of the front
6. Stick the stamp at the top left when the envelope is held portrait
7. On the back, write the sender's address and name in slightly smaller characters than on the front

onchu (御中)

A side-notation showing that the letter is addressed not to a specific individual but to the people concerned inside that organization or institution. Not used alongside a personal name.

kakui (各位)

An honorific title directed at each of several recipients. It is equivalent to "everyone," so sama or dono is not added after it.

shinten (親展)

A word showing that you want the addressee to open the letter personally. Added on the front of the envelope.

zaichu (在中), enclosed

A word showing the kind of contents of the envelope. Written as in seikyusho zaichu, it helps the recipient sort the mail.

ringisho (稟議書)

An internal document drafted by the person in charge, which gains the approval seals of those concerned in turn and so obtains a decision. Greetings are not written in it.

side-notation, wakizuke (脇付け)

A word added beside the address. Onchu and shinten are examples.

Source: Japan Post, Letter Tips: How to write the front and back of an envelope (checked August 2026)

Subject line, address fields, the shape of the body, replies, attachments. Almost every email accident happens at these five places, and every one of them can be prevented in the minute before you send.

The subject line is the name that gets your message chosen as "the one to open first" in a list of arriving mail. "Thank you for your continued business" or "A message" alone tells the reader nothing until they open it. When it lines up what the business is, what you want done and by when, as in "[Request] Reissue of the September invoice (by September 5)," the reader can decide priorities before opening. Piling on exclamation marks to hurry people adds nothing they can use to judge urgency. It is the same idea as the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Principles for Drafting Official Documents saying that a title should show the subject and the character of the document.

There are three address fields. TO is for the person you want to act or reply, CC for the person you want to be aware of the content, and BCC for when you do not want the recipients to see each other's addresses. Addresses put in TO and CC are visible to every recipient. This is where accidents happen: if you line up several other companies who do not know one another in TO or CC, you have handed clients' contact details to third parties. For a mass mailing, put them in BCC or send one at a time. Leaving TO empty does not solve it, since CC is just as visible.

The body runs in the order of address line, greeting and self-identification, the business, closing, and signature. For an external message, give the company name, department and personal name in full, as in "Kabushiki-gaisha Marumaru Somubu Yamada-sama." Without an address line, a forwarded message leaves no clue whom it was for; without self-identification, the reader has to guess the sender from the address. "Otsukaresama desu" is an internal greeting and is not used outside the company. The rule is one message, one piece of business. If you write several together, the latter half is skimmed over and the reply tends to cover only one of them. When they cannot be separated, mark them off with headings. In a reply, leave the quoted text so it is clear what you are answering, and as a rule leave the "Re:" in the subject line as it is. When the topic changes, sending it afresh with a new subject line makes it easier to find later.

Attachments and misdirected mail are prevented by procedure, not by attentiveness. Once you have written that a file is attached, look with your eyes before sending to see that it really is. A large file that exceeds the recipient's limit never arrives and nobody notices, so check in advance or discuss another way of handing it over. Splitting it into several messages pushes the work of reassembly onto the other person, and compressing it is no guarantee of getting under the limit. Against misdirected mail, tricks of ordering work: write the body first and enter the address last, and set a grace period for cancelling a send. The habit of taking the first suggestion that appears in the address field is a classic cause of sending to a different person with the same surname. For a request, add a cushioning phrase and write concretely what you want done and by when. For a chaser, do not assume the other side has slipped up; give them a way out with "apologies if our messages have crossed" and then ask them to confirm the situation.

Checks before you press send
1. Is the address right? Have you picked a different person with the same surname or a similar display name?
2. Is any superior or interested party who should be in CC missing?
3. Can the business and the deadline be seen from the subject line alone?
4. Are the characters of the company name, department name and personal name in the address line correct?
5. Is the file you said you were attaching actually attached?
6. Does the body state what you want the other person to do and by when?
7. Does the signature contain the company name, your name and contact details?

subject line

The heading of an email. Making it a name that shows the business, the object and the deadline lets the reader decide priorities before opening.

CC

The field for people you want to share the content with. Addresses put there are visible to every recipient, and as a rule no action is asked of them.

BCC

The field for sending in a form invisible to the other recipients. Used for mass mailings to several people who do not know one another.

signature

The block at the end of the body with company name, department, personal name and contact details. It saves the reader from hunting for a way to reach you.

quoted reply

Replying with the other person's text left in place. It lets them see what you are answering.

crossed messages, ikichigai (行き違い)

The state where messages have passed each other. Used as a preface to a chaser, it lets the other person reply with their face intact.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

Directors and company auditors are bodies laid down by the Companies Act; president and senior managing director are in-house names the company is free to give. First we sort out that these two layers are different things.

The words for the "important people" in a company mix two kinds: those fixed by law and those the company decides freely. What the Companies Act lays down are bodies such as the shareholders meeting, directors, the board of directors, the representative director and the company auditor; their powers are written in the law and they are entered in the commercial register. On the other hand, for names such as president, vice-president, senior managing director, managing director and division head, the Companies Act contains no definition of "what a president is." They are set by the company as its internal organization, so the same title of senior managing director carries different powers and different treatment at a different company. Not carrying the meaning of a title over to another company is the starting point in this field.

The Companies Act provides that a stock company must have one or two or more directors (Companies Act Article 326, paragraph 1). By contrast, a board of directors, an accounting advisor, a company auditor, a board of company auditors, an accounting auditor and so on are optional bodies that may be established if the articles of incorporation so provide (same Article, paragraph 2). In other words, "a stock company with no board of directors" is neither unlawful nor exceptional. Among small and medium-sized companies it is not at all rare to have only one director. Note that where a board of directors is established, there must be three or more directors (Companies Act Article 331, paragraph 5).

The one with authority to represent the company is the representative director. At a company with a board of directors, the board must select a representative director from among the directors (Companies Act Article 362, paragraph 3), and the representative director has authority to do any and all judicial and extra-judicial acts relating to the business of the company (Companies Act Article 349, paragraph 4). At many companies the name "president" is laid over the representative director, giving "representative director and president," but this merely writes the legal position and the in-house name side by side; there is no legal post called president.

Even so, the name "president" carries social credit. The Companies Act provides that where a director who is not a representative director is given a name such as president or vice-president, the company bears liability to a third party acting in good faith for acts done by that director (Companies Act Article 354). This is called an apparent representative director. It means that the title on a business card is important material for the other party's judgment. Also, "officers" as the Companies Act uses the word means directors, accounting advisors and company auditors (Companies Act Article 329, paragraph 1); an executive officer, whom everyday speech tends to count as an officer, does not fall within the officers of that provision. Executive officer is a name with no basis in the Companies Act, and some companies place them as employees while at others a director holds the post concurrently.

How a "president" comes to be decided at a company with a board of directors
1. The shareholders meeting elects the directors (Companies Act Article 329, paragraph 1)
2. All the elected directors together form the board of directors (Companies Act Article 362, paragraph 1)
3. The board selects a representative director from among the directors (Companies Act Article 362, paragraph 3)
4. The company, under its internal rules, gives that person the name of president
5. The business card reads "representative director and president"

shareholders meeting

The company's decision-making body made up of the shareholders. It elects officers such as directors (Companies Act Article 329, paragraph 1). At a company with a board of directors, the matters it may resolve are limited to those provided by law and by the articles of incorporation (Companies Act Article 295, paragraph 2).

director

A body the Companies Act makes mandatory; a stock company needs one or more (Companies Act Article 326, paragraph 1). A position responsible for management decisions, distinct from employee posts such as department manager.

board of directors

The body formed by all the directors. It decides the execution of business, supervises the directors' performance of their duties, and selects and removes the representative director (Companies Act Article 362). An optional body established where the articles of incorporation so provide.

representative director

A director with authority to represent the company. At a company with a board of directors, the board selects one from among the directors (Companies Act Article 362, paragraph 3).

company auditor, kansayaku (監査役)

A body that audits the directors' performance of their duties and prepares an audit report (Companies Act Article 381, paragraph 1). It stands on the checking side, not the side executing the business.

apparent representative director

The mechanism whereby, if a director who is not a representative director is given a name such as president or vice-president, the company bears liability to a third party acting in good faith for that person's acts (Companies Act Article 354).

executive officer, shikko yakuin (執行役員)

A name a company gives to a position responsible for executing business. It has no basis in the Companies Act and is not included among the officers of Companies Act Article 329, paragraph 1. Its standing differs from company to company.

articles of incorporation, teikan (定款)

The document setting out the company's basic rules. Whether to establish a board of directors or a company auditor is also provided in the articles (Companies Act Article 326, paragraph 2).

Source: Companies Act (会社法) Articles 326, 329, 331, 349, 354, 362 and 381

We cover the usual line-up from chairman down to team leader, and the authority to approve that comes with a post. The overriding premise is that both the ranking and the authority differ from company to company.

In general people speak of a line-up running from the top as chairman (kaicho), president (shacho), vice-president (fuku-shacho), senior managing director (senmu), managing director (jomu), division head (honbucho), department manager (bucho), deputy department manager (jicho), section chief (kacho), subsection chief (kakaricho) and team leader (shunin); and it is customary to call the range from chairman to about managing director the officer layer, and from division head to about section chief the management layer. This is, however, no more than practice, and there is no law that lays down this ranking. Which is higher, division head or department manager, differs by company, and while some companies treat a team leader as management, others keep it as a name within the general staff. When you look at a card from another company, it is safer not to judge the ranking by your own company's yardstick but to check the standing at their company.

Posts are divided into line posts and staff posts. A line post has subordinates and stands in a position of issuing work instructions and moving the organization; department manager, section chief and subsection chief are of this kind. A staff post has no subordinates and supports the organization through expertise, and posts such as tanto-bucho or senmon-bucho, at department-manager-level treatment but without subordinates, are sometimes established. In other words, a card that says "department manager" does not necessarily mean the person has subordinates. This distinction has nothing to do with employment type or place of work, so do not confuse them.

Job titles sometimes carry words such as dairi (deputy), kokoroe (acting), hosa (assistant) and tsuki (attached to). Generally kacho-dairi means a position performing the section chief's duties in their place, kacho-hosa a position assisting the section chief, and bucho-tsuki a position placed directly under the department manager, but the weight of these too differs by company. In practice, looking at what the person can decide is more useful than counting rank.

The document that puts "what can be decided" in writing is the rules on job authority. At many companies these tabulate, by amount of spending and by type of contract, up to which post approval may be given: for instance up to 100,000 yen the section chief, up to 1,000,000 yen the department manager, and beyond that an officer. Knowing how far your own superior can decide tells you how far a ringi (稟議, circulated approval draft) needs to be escalated and cuts down on rejections. Note that even where authority is delegated to a lower-ranking person, the delegating side's responsibility for oversight does not disappear, nor does the receiving side's duty to report. Always make the scope of delegation clear in writing.

Steps for checking the approval route
1. Open the rules on job authority in the collection of internal rules
2. See which category your matter falls into
3. Confirm that the approver changes with the amount and the contract term
4. Confirm the route up to the approver and which departments must be consulted
5. If unsure, check the approver with your superior before drafting

management, kanrishoku (管理職)

A position responsible for running a division or section and directing subordinates. It generally means department managers and section chiefs, but where management begins differs by company.

line post

A post with subordinates that issues work instructions and moves the organization: department manager, section chief, subsection chief and so on.

staff post

A post without subordinates that supports the organization through expertise. There are forms such as tanto-bucho and senmon-bucho that hold post-level standing without having subordinates.

rules on job authority

Internal rules laying down which post may approve what, by amount and by type of matter.

authority to approve

The authority to give final approval to a matter. Customarily the post required rises with the size of the amount and the type of contract.

delegation of authority

A higher-ranking person entrusting their authority to approve to a lower-ranking one. The scope entrusted must be made clear in writing, and the delegating side's responsibility for oversight remains.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

We cover what the main departments such as general affairs, human resources and accounting actually do, and the ringi mechanism by which things get decided inside a company.

A company's departments divide broadly into those that create sales and those that support them. Sales and manufacturing are the former; general affairs, human resources, accounting and the like are the latter, and the supporting side together is called the administrative departments or the corporate departments. What a new employee most wants to learn first is "where to go when in trouble." Broken equipment goes to general affairs, questions about attendance or transfers to human resources, expense settlement to accounting, checking a contract to legal, a computer fault to information systems. Simply knowing the right address changes the speed of your work.

Two that are easy to confuse because the names are similar are accounting (keiri) and finance (zaimu). Accounting is the work of recording daily transactions and preparing the financial statements; finance is the work of raising and managing funds, and negotiations with banks and cash-flow management belong to finance. General affairs and human resources are also often separate: general affairs handles company-wide housekeeping such as the building, equipment, document management and the administration of the shareholders meeting, while human resources handles people, that is, recruitment, placement, evaluation and training. At smaller companies, though, general affairs may double as human resources and accounting, and the division differs from company to company.

When something is to be decided inside the company, the document circulated among those concerned to collect approvals is the ringisho (稟議書). The drafter writes the purpose, content, amount and effect; the departments concerned are consulted; and the person with authority approves it. Granting approval is kessai (決裁); a person entrusted with authority in advance deciding on their own responsibility is senketsu (専決); and deciding in place of the approver while they are absent is daiketsu (代決). It is customary for a matter decided by daiketsu to be shown to the approver afterwards, which is called goetsu (後閲). Shortcuts such as borrowing someone else's seal and stamping it, or placing an order before approval, are all breaches of the rules.

Since ringi takes time, rather than sending the papers round out of the blue, it works to explain the intent to the departments concerned in advance, which is called nemawashi (根回し). Nemawashi is not a means of skipping the consultation; it is legitimate preparation for lining up the issues before the paper circulates and reducing rework. Most rejections come from three causes: "there is no basis for the amount," "there is no comparison with other options," and "it is not clear what is needed by when." If you confirm the approver and the departments to be consulted before drafting, and gather supporting documents such as quotations and comparison tables before circulating, it passes the first time.

The flow up to a ringi being approved
1. The drafter writes the purpose, content, amount and effect and makes the ringisho
2. Attach supporting material such as quotations and comparison tables
3. Explain the content to your immediate superior and obtain their agreement
4. Circulate it for consultation to the departments concerned (legal, accounting, information systems and so on)
5. The person with authority approves it
6. Only after approval do you move on to placing the order, signing the contract and so on

administrative departments

A general term for the departments supporting the business divisions: general affairs, human resources, accounting, legal and so on. Also called corporate departments.

ringisho (稟議書)

An internal document for obtaining approval by circulating among those concerned, without holding a meeting. It is drafted with the purpose, content, amount and effect, plus supporting material.

kessai (決裁), approval

The person with authority giving final approval to a matter. Only after approval do you move on to placing the order, signing the contract and so on.

senketsu (専決), decision on delegated authority

A person entrusted with authority in advance deciding on their own responsibility. The scope is laid down in the rules on job authority.

daiketsu (代決), decision in place of another

Deciding in place of the person with authority while they are absent. It is customary to have them check it afterwards, which is called goetsu.

consultation, gogi (合議)

The procedure of obtaining the views and confirmation of the departments concerned before approval. Which departments are consulted is set for each type of matter: legal for contracts, accounting for spending, and so on.

nemawashi (根回し), groundwork

Explaining the intent to those concerned before circulating the paper, and grasping the issues and concerns in advance. Preparation for reducing rework.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

Reporting, informing and consulting look alike but differ in whom they go to and what they are for. Work begins with receiving an instruction accurately and giving it back accurately.

Horenso (報連相) is a word made by joining the heads of hokoku (report), renraku (inform) and sodan (consult). Reporting means giving the result or the progress back to the person who gave the instruction; informing means letting the people concerned know a fact; consulting means asking for opinions or advice when you cannot decide. The key point is that the addressee differs: a report goes up, informing goes sideways and around you, and consulting goes to your superior or a senior colleague. The commonest failure of "I thought I had said it" is the gap where you reported to your superior but did not inform the departments concerned.

State a report from the conclusion. The order is: "About Company A, they have asked us to push the delivery date back by 1 week. The reason is a delay in their materials. The effect on us is..." If you start from what happened, the listener has to hold the information while waiting for the conclusion, and the decision is delayed. And the iron rule is that the worse the news, the faster you tell it. The more time passes, the fewer the moves available, so even when it is not resolved, put the facts out with the preface "this is not resolved yet." What troubles a superior most is hearing about a problem for the first time on the day of the deadline.

When you receive an instruction, if you are called over, go with a notepad and something to write with. As a basic rule, listen to the end without breaking in, but once you have heard it out, check for gaps against 5W2H, that is, when, where, who, what, why, how, and how much. In particular, always confirm the deadline and the form of the deliverable, meaning how far you are to take it. If you are told "as soon as possible," propose a concrete time from your side and agree it: "would by the end of today be all right?" The whole set of actions ends with repeating the main points back, and, once you are back at your desk, tidying up your notes and settling when you will start.

In work from home, things that would have carried naturally when desks were close no longer carry. Share briefly when you start a task, when you reach a break point, and when you finish. Chat has the advantage of letting the other person choose when to read, but it does not suit urgent business, so switch to a call or a meeting. For consulting that asks for a decision, do not go back and forth at length in text; make it a short call. Once you can make these three switches, work keeps moving even at a distance. On the other hand a call leaves no record, so always put what was decided into text and share it. Even where there is a recording, searching it takes time, so putting the main points into text cannot be skipped.

Receiving an instruction, 6 steps
1. When called over, go with a notepad and something to write with
2. Listen to the end without breaking in
3. Check for gaps against 5W2H (especially the deadline and the form of the deliverable)
4. Ask also for the background, why this work is needed
5. Repeat the main points back to align your understanding
6. Back at your desk, tidy up your notes and settle when you will start

report, hokoku (報告)

Giving the result or progress back to the person who gave the instruction. State the conclusion first and keep facts and your own opinion separate.

inform, renraku (連絡)

Letting the people concerned know a fact. It does not ask for a decision; the key point is reaching everyone affected.

consult, sodan (相談)

Asking a superior or senior colleague for opinions or advice when you cannot decide. Bringing the situation and the options with you gets it settled in a short time.

5W2H

The seven check items: when, where, who, what, why, how, and how much. Used to inspect for gaps when you receive an instruction.

interim report

Reporting progress partway through, before the work is finished. On long work, setting milestones and putting one in at each lets a drift in direction be corrected early.

repeating back, fukusho (復唱)

Saying the main points of the instruction you received out loud again, to check that your understanding matches.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

We cover how to line up several jobs held at once, how to report progress, and the legal basics on working hours and leave.

When jobs pile up, line them up along two axes: urgency and importance. What is both urgent and important comes first, but what decides your results is what is important yet not urgent, that is, planning, improvement, learning and building relationships. Unless you secure time for these first, they are always pushed back. What is urgent but not important, such as an inquiry you can answer at once, tends to get picked up first, and if you are buried in it, the important work always ends up right against the deadline. For what is neither urgent nor important, consult your superior, including on whether it may be dropped. When you are unsure, measuring not only by the deadline but by "who suffers, and how much, if this is late" makes it easier to decide.

PDCA is the idea of turning the four stages of Plan, Do, Check and Act. What matters is always to include the Check; leave it out and you repeat the same mistakes. In order to evaluate, you have to decide at the planning stage, in figures or in states, "what has to be true for this to be a success." Move to execution with a vague target and there is no way to evaluate afterwards.

Build a schedule by working back from the deadline. If you line up working time with no gaps, interruptions and rework will certainly make you late, so leave about two tenths of the whole as slack. Do not forget to include time waiting for other people's checks and approvals in the process. On long work, set your own interim deadlines and make interim reports at them. The moment you see you may be late, say the conclusion first and then tell them how far you have got, what the cause is, what you need, and by when you can deliver. Reports that are too fine-grained take up the other person's time, so it is best to set milestones and report at those.

Working hours have a legal ceiling. The Labor Standards Act provides that an employer must not have a worker work more than 40 hours per week, or more than 8 hours per day, excluding rest periods (Labor Standards Act Article 32). To have someone work beyond this, a written agreement must be concluded with a labor union organized by a majority of the workers, or with a person representing a majority of the workers, and filed with the administrative agency (Labor Standards Act Article 36). This agreement is what is commonly called a Article 36 agreement, saburoku kyotei (36協定). Do not start overtime on your own judgment; apply for it by the procedure the company lays down. As for rest periods, it is also provided that where working hours exceed 6 hours, at least 45 minutes, and where they exceed 8 hours, at least 1 hour, must be given during working hours (Labor Standards Act Article 34, paragraph 1).

As for annual paid leave, an employer must give 10 working days, consecutive or divided, to a worker who has been continuously employed for 6 months from the day of hiring and has reported for work on at least 8 tenths of all working days (Labor Standards Act Article 39, paragraph 1). After that the number of days is added to according to the years of continuous service. There is no obligation to explain a reason for taking it. However, where giving it in the period requested would hinder the normal operation of the business, the company may give it in another period (same Article, paragraph 5). In practice, the courteous thing is to apply early once your days off are decided, and to tell those concerned the state of the matters in progress, where to reach you while you are away, and the policy for handling things.

Reporting when you may be late, 5 steps
1. Speak up the moment you see you may be late
2. Say the conclusion first (I will not make the original deadline)
3. Show how far you have got so far
4. Give the cause of the delay and the support you need, concretely
5. Propose from your side by when you can deliver

urgency

The degree of by when something must be done. Measured by how near the deadline is.

importance

The degree to which the work affects results. Measuring by who suffers, and how much, if it is late makes it easier to judge.

PDCA

A way of working that repeats the four stages of Plan, Do, Check and Act. Skip the Check and you repeat the same mistakes.

working backwards

Building a plan by tracing the process back from the deadline. Allow slack for interruptions and for waiting on other people's checks.

Article 36 agreement, saburoku kyotei (36協定)

The common name for the labor-management agreement needed in order to have people work beyond statutory working hours. A written agreement must be concluded and filed with the administrative agency (Labor Standards Act Article 36).

annual paid leave

Leave of 10 working days given to a worker who has been continuously employed for 6 months and has reported for work on at least 8 tenths of all working days (Labor Standards Act Article 39, paragraph 1). No explanation of a reason is needed to take it.

right to change the period

The mechanism by which the company may give paid leave in another period where giving it in the period requested would hinder the normal operation of the business (Labor Standards Act Article 39, paragraph 5).

Source: Labor Standards Act (労働基準法) Articles 32, 34, 36 and 39 / ※ the rest is commercial practice with no public regulation

The worse things go, the more you need a pattern. We gather the first moves after a mistake, asking things of people and turning them down, meeting etiquette, and handovers.

The first move on noticing a mistake comes down to not hiding it and telling your superior at once. The order is: first stop the damage spreading, then state the facts, show the range of the effect, put forward an emergency course of action and ask for instructions, and last, summarize the cause and how to prevent a recurrence. Analyzing the cause can wait until things have settled; what is needed first is to stop the damage. Spending time trying to recover it by yourself lets the effect spread meanwhile. Do not open with excuses; put the facts out first with "I am sorry, this is what has happened," and explain conjecture and fact separately. Where there is a risk of information leaking, as with a misdirected email, confirm the company's response before contacting the other party on your own judgment.

When you ask someone to do work, convey four things: the background, the deliverable, the deadline and the volume. With only "please handle this," the person receiving it does not know what to produce and it has to be done again. A request is an act that adds to the other person's work, so check their situation, and if it is urgent, add the reason briefly. Speaking at length about how busy you are does not settle what the other person is to do. Conversely, when you turn a request down, do not start with a flat "I cannot"; put in a cushioning phrase such as "osore irimasu ga," and show the reason you cannot take it plus what you can do instead, for example a different deadline, only part of it, or another person. Taking it on lightly and then dropping the deadline causes far more trouble than declining at the start.

The quality of a meeting is decided by distributing the purpose and the agenda before it opens. Write into the agenda the items, the time allotted to each, and what you want decided at that meeting, and send the materials in advance. During the meeting record not only the remarks but the reasoning that led to each decision, and at the end read out the decisions and the action items to confirm them. What minutes must always contain is the date, time and place, the attendees, the items, the decisions, the action items, and the next meeting. An action item only works once all three of who, by when, and what to do are there. For an item where no conclusion was reached, unless you leave a record that it is unresolved and who will settle it by when, the next meeting repeats the same discussion. Minutes are worth more the sooner they come, so aim to share them the same day.

A handover is the work of creating a state where the successor can keep the work moving without asking you. Gather into a handover document the list of duties, the matters in progress and their status, the people concerned and their contact details, past background and points to watch, and where the documents and data are kept. A purely verbal handover always leaves gaps. "Promises that are not in any document" and "the background of something that nearly became trouble" are the parts that trouble a successor most, so always write those down and leave them behind.

First moves on noticing a mistake, 6 steps
1. First stop the damage spreading (stop the sending, the shipping, the publishing)
2. Do not hide it; tell your superior at once
3. Explain the facts in chronological order (keep conjecture and fact separate)
4. Show the range of the effect (whom it reaches and how far)
5. Put forward an emergency course of action and ask for instructions
6. Once things have settled, investigate the cause and summarize how to prevent a recurrence

first move, shodo (初動)

The first action taken immediately after a problem occurs. Its pillars are stopping the damage spreading and telling your superior early.

preventing recurrence

Fixing the mechanism or the procedure so the same problem does not happen twice. Analysis of the cause comes after the emergency response is done.

cushioning phrase

A turn of phrase placed before a request or a refusal to soften the impression, such as "osore irimasu ga" or "ainiku desu ga."

agenda

Material distributed in advance giving the items of the meeting, the time allotted to each, and what is to be decided. Its purpose is to let participants come prepared.

minutes

The record of a meeting. Write the date, time and place, the attendees, the items, the decisions, the action items and the next meeting. Unresolved matters are recorded too.

handover document

A document gathering, at a change of personnel, the list of duties, the matters in progress, the people concerned, points to watch, and where the materials are kept.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

We cover the stages by which profit emerges from sales, and what the profit and loss statement and the balance sheet are pictures of, starting from how to read the actual figures.

A company's figures are read by shaving the earnings down one level at a time. First, net sales minus the cost of sales is gross profit, called arari (粗利) on the ground (Ordinance on Company Accounting Article 89). Gross profit shows how much power the product or service itself has. Next, subtracting selling, general and administrative expenses, that is, the costs needed in order to sell, such as personnel costs, rent and advertising, gives operating profit (same Ordinance, Article 90), and this shows how much was earned in the main business. Adding non-operating income to operating profit and subtracting non-operating expenses such as interest on borrowings gives ordinary profit (same Ordinance, Article 91). "Gross profit is there but operating profit is thin" can be read as meaning the cause lies in how you sell or how you spend on indirect costs.

Among the financial statements, the profit and loss statement shows the flow of how much was earned and how much spent over a fixed period such as 1 year. The balance sheet shows the balances at a single point in time, the closing date: what is held and to whom how much must be repaid. The balance sheet is to be presented divided into the 3 sections of assets, liabilities and net assets (Ordinance on Company Accounting Article 73), and the total of assets always equals the total of liabilities and net assets. The profit and loss statement is divided into net sales, cost of sales, selling, general and administrative expenses, non-operating income, non-operating expenses, extraordinary income and extraordinary losses (same Ordinance, Article 88). Fixing in your head from the start the difference between a statement that shows flow and one that shows balances keeps you from getting lost.

Costs become clearer when divided into fixed and variable. Fixed costs are those incurred in roughly the same amount whether sales rise or fall, typically office rent and the salaries of permanent employees. Variable costs rise and fall with sales: materials, purchases, and sales commissions linked to revenue. The selling price minus the variable cost per unit is the marginal profit, and dividing the fixed costs by the marginal profit gives the break-even point, the sales volume at which you neither lose nor gain. Which category something falls into changes with the industry and the form of the contract, so judge it against your own company's reality.

Equipment used over a long time is not expensed in full in the year of purchase but is spread as expense across the years of use. This is depreciation (Corporation Tax Act (法人税法) Article 31). Under the straight-line method, the picture is that the acquisition cost divided by the useful life is the depreciation expense each year. Consumption tax works so that a business pays over the tax it received along with its sales, less the tax it paid on purchases and expenses (Consumption Tax Act (消費税法) Article 30). The standard rate is 10 percent in total and the reduced rate 8 percent in total (same Act, Article 29). The consumption tax portion sitting in your hands is money you will ultimately pay over, so it is safer to keep it consciously separate from your own earnings when managing cash flow. For actual calculations and filings, check with the tax office or a tax accountant.

Finding the break-even sales volume (example)
Selling price 900 yen, variable cost per unit 400 yen, fixed costs 3,000,000 yen per month
Marginal profit per unit: 900 − 400 = 500 yen
Break-even volume: 3,000,000 ÷ 500 = 6,000 units
Check (sales): 900 × 6,000 = 5,400,000 yen
Check (costs): 400 × 6,000 + 3,000,000 = 5,400,000 yen, which matches

gross profit, arari (粗利)

Net sales minus the cost of sales. It shows the margin on the product or service itself (Ordinance on Company Accounting Article 89).

operating profit

Gross profit minus selling, general and administrative expenses. It shows how much was earned in the main business (Ordinance on Company Accounting Article 90).

ordinary profit

Operating profit plus non-operating income minus non-operating expenses. The real strength including recurring gains and losses outside the main business, such as interest (Ordinance on Company Accounting Article 91).

balance sheet

The statement showing the financial position at a single point in time. It is divided into the 3 sections of assets, liabilities and net assets (Ordinance on Company Accounting Article 73).

fixed and variable costs

Fixed costs are incurred in a set amount regardless of sales; variable costs rise and fall with sales. Used in calculating the break-even point.

depreciation

The idea of spreading the acquisition cost of a long-lived asset as expense across the years of use (Corporation Tax Act Article 31).

Source: Ordinance on Company Accounting (会社計算規則) Articles 89, 90 and 91

We cover the order of the documents that move a transaction and what each of them proves, through to the rules on revenue stamps, confidentiality and subcontracting, all in one thread.

Transaction documents have an order, and each has its role. A quotation is a statement that it can be done on these terms at this price; a purchase order is the buyer's offer; an order acknowledgment is the supplier's acceptance; a delivery note is the record of handing goods over; acceptance inspection, kenshu (検収), is the point at which the receiving side checks the contents and recognizes them as passing; and then come the invoice and payment. A contract itself is formed when the other party accepts an offer stating its content, and, except where laws and regulations provide otherwise, no formality such as a written document is required (Civil Code Article 522). Even so, documents are exchanged in order to leave a record of what was agreed, so that it does not later become a matter of who said what.

Acceptance inspection is a very important point in practice, since it is often the trigger for payment. Check quantity, specification and quality, and if there is a problem, say so at this stage. Where the subject matter delivered does not conform to the terms of the contract as to kind, quality or quantity, the buyer may demand cure, such as repair or delivery of a substitute (Civil Code Article 562). Note that a contract for work, ukeoi (請負), is a contract in which one party promises to complete work and the other promises to pay remuneration for the result (Civil Code Article 632). Aligning at the outset on what counts as completion keeps the acceptance inspection from becoming a dispute.

As for stamp tax, the duty to pay falls on the person who prepares a document listed in Appended Table 1 of the Stamp Tax Act, that is, a taxable document (Stamp Tax Act Article 3). The one you meet most often is the receipt: a receipt for money or securities is exempt if the amount received as stated is under 50,000 yen (same Act, Appended Table 1, Document No. 17). It is not enough merely to affix the stamp; it must be clearly cancelled across both the document and the patterned border of the stamp (same Act, Article 8, paragraph 2). Treatment where everything is exchanged as electronic data is a point on which views sometimes divide, so check with the tax office or a tax accountant.

A confidentiality agreement, the so-called NDA, is a promise not to use information learned in discussions or joint work for other purposes and not to disclose it to third parties. Concluding it before you talk is the basic rule. Management inside your own company is equally indispensable. A trade secret as the Unfair Competition Prevention Act uses the term is information that satisfies 3 conditions: it is managed as secret, it is technical or business information useful for business activities, and it is not publicly known (same Act, Article 2, paragraph 6). In other words, information you do not manage is hard to protect. As for the rules on subcontracting, the Act against Delay in Payment of Subcontract Proceeds, Etc. to Subcontractors was amended and came into force on January 1, 2026, with the abbreviated name Act on Ensuring Fairness in Transactions Entrusted to Small and Medium Enterprises and the common name Toritekiho (取適法). Payment by promissory note is prohibited, a criterion based on the number of employees is added to the existing capital-based criterion, and the entrusting of transport needed for the delivery of manufactured and other subject matter is brought within scope, so its reach has widened.

1. Align on the specification and the delivery date, and obtain a quotation
2. Get internal approval before issuing the purchase order
3. Receive the order acknowledgment and leave written proof that the contract was formed
4. On delivery, check the delivery note against the goods themselves
5. Carry out the acceptance inspection, and report any non-conformity at this stage
6. Once acceptance is complete, receive the invoice and pay on the due date

quotation

A statement that it can be done on these terms at this price. The document for aligning on price and specification before an order.

order acknowledgment, chumon-ukesho (注文請書)

The document showing that the supplier has accepted the offer made by the purchase order. It is evidence that the contract was formed.

acceptance inspection, kenshu (検収)

Checking that what was delivered matches the order and recognizing it as passing. It is often the trigger for payment.

taxable document

A document listed in Appended Table 1 of the Stamp Tax Act. The person who prepares it has the duty to pay stamp tax (same Act, Article 3).

NDA (confidentiality agreement)

A contract promising not to use information learned for other purposes and not to disclose it to third parties. The basic rule is to conclude it before the discussion.

Act on Ensuring Fairness in Transactions Entrusted to Small and Medium Enterprises

The abbreviated name of the law that came into force on January 1, 2026 through the amendment of the Act against Delay in Payment of Subcontract Proceeds, Etc. to Subcontractors. Commonly called Toritekiho.

Source: Civil Code (民法) Article 522, Stamp Tax Act (印紙税法) Article 3, Unfair Competition Prevention Act (不正競争防止法) Article 2, paragraph 6

We check the rules on working time and days off, the premium rates for overtime, the difference between social insurance and labor insurance, and how to read a payslip, each with the provision behind it.

The principle for working hours is 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, excluding rest periods (Labor Standards Act Article 32). To have people work beyond this, a written agreement, the so-called Article 36 agreement, must be concluded with a labor union organized by a majority of the workers or with a person representing a majority, and filed with the administrative agency (same Act, Article 36, paragraph 1). The limit on the hours by which time may be extended is, as a rule, 45 hours a month and 360 hours a year (same Article, paragraph 4). Rest periods of at least 45 minutes where working hours exceed 6 hours, and at least 1 hour where they exceed 8 hours, are given during working hours (same Act, Article 34). Days off are at least 1 per week, or 4 or more over a period of 4 weeks (same Act, Article 35).

Annual paid leave of 10 working days is given to a worker who has been continuously employed for 6 months from the day of hiring and has reported for work on at least 8 tenths of all working days (Labor Standards Act Article 39, paragraph 1). Days are added after that according to years of service. As a rule it is given in the period the worker requests, and the company can only change it to another period where it would hinder the normal operation of the business (same Article, paragraph 5). No obligation to explain a reason for taking it appears in the provisions. In addition, for workers granted 10 or more days a year, the company must set the period and have them take 5 days within 1 year of the reference date (same Article, paragraph 7).

The minimum rates of premium wages are fixed by law. Overtime work is at least 25 percent, and work on a statutory day off at least 35 percent (Labor Standards Act Article 37, paragraph 1, and Cabinet Order No. 5 of Heisei 6). The part of overtime work exceeding 60 hours in a month is at least 50 percent (proviso to the same paragraph). Night work, in principle from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., requires a premium of at least 25 percent (same Article, paragraph 4), and where overtime falls in the night hours the two are added together. Note that family allowances and commuting allowances are not included in the wages forming the basis of premium wages (same Article, paragraph 5).

Insurance is less confusing if you learn it as 2 families. Health insurance and employees' pension insurance are what is called social insurance, and the premiums are borne half by the worker and half by the employer (Health Insurance Act Article 161, Employees' Pension Insurance Act Article 82). Workers' accident compensation insurance and employment insurance together are called labor insurance; workers' accident compensation insurance premiums have no worker's share, while for employment insurance the worker bears a part (Act on Collection of Insurance Premiums of Labor Insurance Article 31). A payslip is made of the 3 blocks of attendance, payments and deductions, and the net amount, the gross total minus the total of deductions, is the take-home pay. Wages are, as a rule, paid in currency, directly to the worker, in full, at least once a month, on a fixed date (Labor Standards Act Article 24).

Calculating overtime pay (where the hourly wage is 2,000 yen)
Overtime premium multiplier: 1 + 0.25 = 1.25
Per hour: 2,000 × 1.25 = 2,500 yen
For 2 hours of overtime: 2,500 × 2 = 5,000 yen
If those 2 hours also fall in the night hours: 1 + 0.25 + 0.25 = 1.5
Per hour: 2,000 × 1.5 = 3,000 yen

statutory working hours

The working-hours principle of 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, excluding rest periods (Labor Standards Act Article 32).

Article 36 agreement, saburoku kyotei (36協定)

The labor-management agreement concluded and filed in order to have people do overtime or holiday work (Labor Standards Act Article 36, paragraph 1). The limit is as a rule 45 hours a month and 360 hours a year.

annual paid leave

Paid leave of 10 working days given to a worker who has been continuously employed for 6 months and has reported for work on at least 8 tenths of all working days (Labor Standards Act Article 39, paragraph 1).

premium wages

The added wages of at least 25 percent for overtime, at least 35 percent for a statutory day off, and at least 25 percent for night work (Labor Standards Act Article 37).

gross pay and take-home pay

The total of base pay and allowances is the gross amount; the net amount after subtracting the total of deductions is the take-home pay.

labor insurance

The collective term for workers' accident compensation insurance and employment insurance. Workers' accident compensation insurance premiums have no worker's share (Act on Collection of Insurance Premiums of Labor Insurance Article 31).

Source: Labor Standards Act (労働基準法) Articles 32, 34, 35, 37 and 39

To protect both the company and yourself, we cover the patterns of harassment, the handling of personal information, social media and information leaks, insider trading, and the minimum line on copyright.

Power harassment in the workplace is sorted out by 3 elements: that the conduct is backed by a superior relationship, that it goes beyond the scope necessary and appropriate for the work, and that the worker's working environment is harmed. Employers have a duty to take the measures necessary in employment management, such as putting a consultation system in place (Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labor Policies Article 30-2, paragraph 1). The guideline of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare lists 6 representative types: physical attack, psychological attack, isolation from human relationships, excessive demands, insufficient demands, and intrusion into the personal sphere. Note both sides: intent to harm is not among the elements, so it can apply even with no ill will, while at the same time this does not deny guidance that is within the scope necessary and appropriate for the work.

Sexual harassment is sorted into the type where a worker suffers a disadvantage in working conditions because of their response to sexual conduct, and the type where sexual conduct harms the working environment, and employers have a duty to take measures (Act on Equal Opportunity between Men and Women Article 11, paragraph 1). For conduct relating to pregnancy, childbirth and the like, Article 11-3 of the same Act, and for conduct relating to the use of systems such as childcare leave and family care leave, Article 25 of the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act, each lay down a duty to take measures. In every case it is prohibited to dismiss a worker or treat them disadvantageously on the ground that they made a consultation, or cooperated with the response to one by stating the facts.

When you handle personal information, first specify the purpose of use as far as possible (Act on the Protection of Personal Information Article 17, paragraph 1). Without obtaining the individual's consent in advance, you must not handle it beyond the scope necessary for achieving the specified purpose (same Act, Article 18, paragraph 1). When you acquire it, you promptly notify the individual or make it public, except where the purpose of use has been published in advance (same Act, Article 21, paragraph 1). As a rule, providing it to a third party requires the individual's prior consent, except in cases such as those based on laws and regulations (same Act, Article 27, paragraph 1). Race, creed, social status, medical history, criminal record and the like are special care-required personal information, calling for more careful handling (same Act, Article 2, paragraph 3).

Against information leaks the basics are: do not take it out, do not show it, do not connect it. Do not carry customer lists or entry passes around together with your own belongings; do not open your screen in a public place; do not connect your own storage media to business data. On social media, even something you meant only for people inside the company cannot be taken back the moment it is out in a public place. A company insider who learns, in connection with their duties, a material fact concerning the business of a listed company or the like must not trade in that company's shares or the like until after that material fact has been published (Financial Instruments and Exchange Act Article 166, paragraph 1). Someone else's copyrighted work cannot be used without permission, except in cases such as quoting a published work in a manner consistent with fair practice and within a scope justified by the purpose of the quotation (Copyright Act Article 32, paragraph 1). Copyright as a rule subsists until 70 years after the author's death (same Act, Article 51, paragraph 2). If you cannot judge a particular case, always consult your company's administrative departments or a specialist.

Checks before handling personal information
1. Put into words and specify what it will be used for
2. Confirm that the purpose has been notified to the individual or published
3. Inspect whether you are using it in a way that goes beyond the scope of the purpose
4. If it is going outside the company, confirm that the individual has consented in advance
5. See whether special care-required personal information such as medical history is mixed in
6. Delete data you no longer need reliably, by the prescribed method

the 3 elements of power harassment

Conduct backed by a superior relationship, going beyond the scope necessary and appropriate for the work, and the working environment being harmed (Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labor Policies Article 30-2).

the 6 types

The representative types set out in the guideline of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare: physical attack, psychological attack, isolation from human relationships, excessive demands, insufficient demands, intrusion into the personal sphere.

quid pro quo type and environment type

Suffering a disadvantage in working conditions through one's response to sexual conduct is the quid pro quo type; the working environment being harmed by sexual conduct is the environment type (Act on Equal Opportunity between Men and Women Article 11).

special care-required personal information

Personal information containing descriptions requiring particular care, such as race, creed, social status, medical history and criminal record (Act on the Protection of Personal Information Article 2, paragraph 3).

material fact

An important fact concerning the business of a listed company or the like. A company insider who learns it in connection with their duties is prohibited from trading before it is published (Financial Instruments and Exchange Act Article 166).

quotation

Using a published work in a manner consistent with fair practice and within a scope justified by the purpose (Copyright Act Article 32, paragraph 1). Show the source and keep your own writing the main part.

Source: Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labor Policies (労働施策総合推進法) Article 30-2, Act on the Protection of Personal Information (個人情報保護法) Article 17, Copyright Act (著作権法) Article 32

Centering on wedding gifts, you learn in one thread how to choose the mizuhiki cord, what noshi means, how to write the front inscription, how to prepare the gift envelope, and how to reply to an invitation.

When you give goods or money on a happy occasion, you first choose the mizuhiki (水引), the decorative cord. For celebrations that may happily happen any number of times, use the bow knot, chomusubi (蝶結び), also called hanamusubi (花結び), which can be untied and tied again and again. For things you want to happen only once, such as a marriage, use the knot that cannot be undone, musubikiri (結び切り), and its variant awaji-musubi (あわじ結び). A celebration of recovery from illness or injury, kaiki-iwai (快気祝い), is also something better not repeated, so musubikiri is chosen. Get this the wrong way round and the meaning is reversed, so check the purpose before you buy the envelope. Note that fine points of etiquette vary by region, so when unsure, asking an older person or the shop is the sure way.

Noshi (のし), written 熨斗 in kanji, is the long thin ornament attached at the top right of a wrapping sheet or a gift envelope. It was originally dried abalone beaten thin, and it carries the meaning of adding fresh food. So when you give fresh food itself, such as fish or meat, you do not add it on top. It is a mark of happy occasions, so it is not attached for funerals and memorials either. Ready-made envelopes and wrapping sheets usually have it printed on already, so choosing one that suits the purpose naturally gives you the right form.

The front inscription goes in the center above the mizuhiki, and the giver's name in the center below the mizuhiki, written a little smaller than the inscription. For a wedding gift, kotobuki (寿), o-iwai (御祝) and go-kekkon o-iwai (御結婚御祝) are common, and the form shuku go-kekkon (祝御結婚), avoiding 4 characters, is also widely used. In vertical writing, joint names run with the right as the higher position, so line them up from the person of highest position or greatest age on the right. When there are many people, write hoka ichido (外一同) to the left of the representative's name, and write everyone's names on the inner wrapper or a separate sheet. As for what to write with, a brush or a brush pen with dark ink is the basis.

There are patterns for what goes inside the gift envelope and how it is handed over. For a happy occasion, gather new banknotes to show that the feeling was prepared in advance, and put them in so the portrait side faces the front of the inner envelope and the portrait is at the top. Write the amount on the front of the inner envelope in kanji numerals, and your address and name on the back. When you take it with you, wrap it in a fukusa (袱紗) cloth, take it out of the fukusa at the reception desk, and hand it over with both hands, turned so the front faces the recipient. A fukusa for happy occasions is in warm colors, one for funerals in cool colors, and purple is said to be usable for either.

Reply to an invitation as soon as you can after it arrives. If you are attending, cross out the go (御) of go-shusseki with 2 lines and circle shusseki, and cross out the unused go-kesseki characters and all with 2 lines. For go-homei (御芳名), cross out as far as go-ho and leave mei, then write your name below it. For go-jusho (御住所), cross out only the go. Cross out the yuki or ate at the end of the address line with 2 lines and change it to sama. Adding a word of congratulation in the margin, and a line about how glad you are to be able to attend, leaves a good impression.

How to write your reply to an invitation
1. Post it as soon as you can after it arrives
2. Cross out the go of go-shusseki with 2 lines and circle shusseki
3. Cross out the unused go-kesseki, characters and all, with 2 lines
4. For go-homei, cross out as far as go-ho, leave mei, and write your name
5. Cross out the yuki or ate of the address line with 2 lines and write sama
6. Add a word of congratulation in the margin

mizuhiki (水引)

The cord tied around a gift envelope or wrapping sheet. Its meaning changes with the knot, and you choose between the bow knot and musubikiri.

bow knot, chomusubi (蝶結び)

Also called hanamusubi, a knot that can be retied any number of times. Used for things that may happily recur, such as a birth gift or a mid-year gift.

musubikiri (結び切り)

A knot that cannot be undone. Used for wedding gifts, recovery celebrations, funerals and the like, things better not repeated. Awaji-musubi is a variant of it.

noshi (のし)

The long thin ornament at the top right of a wrapping sheet. Originally dried abalone, it carries the meaning of adding fresh food. Not attached to fresh food itself, or to funerals and memorials.

front inscription, omotegaki (表書き)

The words for the occasion written above the mizuhiki. For a wedding gift, kotobuki, o-iwai, go-kekkon o-iwai and so on. The name goes below the mizuhiki, a little smaller.

fukusa (袱紗)

The cloth in which a gift envelope, happy or funerary, is wrapped for carrying. Warm colors for happy occasions, cool colors for funerals, and purple is said to be usable for either.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice

We sort out how to move at a wake and a funeral service, how the inscription on the condolence money changes with the religion, words to avoid, and the timing and inscriptions for mid-year and year-end gifts.

When you receive news of a death, confirm the date and time, the place, the name of the chief mourner, and the religious form. The wake, tsuya (通夜), is a ceremony held in the evening, and the funeral service, kokubetsushiki (告別式), is the ceremony of taking leave of the deceased; attending only one of the two is common. Where you are hurrying to a wake at short notice, it is said that ordinary clothes such as a plain-colored suit will do, while the funeral service is generally explained as calling for mourning dress. Keep accessories restrained and avoid anything shiny or showy. Prayer beads, juzu (数珠), are for Buddhist occasions and are not carried at Shinto or Christian ceremonies. Where your company or region has its own established practice, follow that.

The inscription on condolence money, koden (香典), changes with the religion, so always check in advance. In the Buddhist form, go-koden (御香典) and go-koryo (御香料) are widely usable; in the Shinto form, go-tamagushi-ryo (御玉串料) and go-sakaki-ryo (御榊料); and in the Christian form, go-hana-ryo (御花料) is used. Go-reizen (御霊前) is often used at Buddhist wakes and funerals, while in Jodo Shinshu it is explained that go-butsuzen (御仏前) is used, because of the teaching that the deceased becomes a Buddha immediately. When you do not know the sect, a safe inscription such as go-koden, or checking with the family or the funeral company, is the sure course. There is a custom of writing the inscription in pale ink.

The funerary envelope uses musubikiri mizuhiki, and the noshi, being a mark of happy occasions, is not attached. As for the banknotes inside, the opposite of the new notes used for happy occasions applies: new notes are not used, so as to avoid the impression that you had prepared them in anticipation of the misfortune, and there is a practice of creasing a note once before putting it in if new notes are all you have. Choose a fukusa in cool colors. At the reception desk, take it out of the fukusa, speak words of condolence, and hand it over with both hands, turned so the front faces the recipient. Guides on the amount and finer points of etiquette vary by region and by how close you were, so check whether your company has its own custom.

In wording, use set phrases such as "kono tabi wa go-shusho-sama de gozaimasu" and "kokoro yori o-kuyami moshiagemasu," and do not ask about the cause of death or fall into long conversation. Doubled words such as kasanegasane, tabitabi, kaesugaesu and masumasu suggest that the misfortune will be repeated, so they are avoided as imikotoba (忌み言葉), words to be shunned. Expressions such as "go-meifuku o o-inori shimasu," kuyo and jobutsu are Buddhist terms, so they are not used at Shinto or Christian ceremonies. When you cannot attend, arrange a condolence telegram in time for the wake or the funeral service, addressed to the funeral hall and to the chief mourner.

Ochugen (お中元) and oseibo (お歳暮) are seasonal greetings conveying everyday gratitude, not celebrations. Since they recur every year, the mizuhiki is a bow knot, and the inscriptions are go-chugen (御中元) and go-seibo (御歳暮). The time of giving varies by region: ochugen is roughly from the start to the middle of July, and in some regions up to the middle of August; oseibo is from the start of December to around the 20th (12/1 to 12/20). Once the period passes, change the inscription: for ochugen, shochu o-mimai (暑中御見舞) up to risshu, the first day of autumn, and zansho o-mimai (残暑御見舞) after risshu; for oseibo, go-nenga (御年賀) into the new year up to the end of the matsunouchi period, and kanchu o-mimai (寒中御見舞) after that. For a senior, shochu o-ukagai and zansho o-ukagai are sometimes used. Since they are not celebrations, it is said they may be sent even to someone in mourning, but the red-and-white mizuhiki is avoided and a plain paper strip is generally used instead.

Steps for arranging a condolence telegram
1. Confirm the date, time and place of the wake and the funeral service
2. Work back from a time that will make one of them and place the order
3. Address it to the funeral hall, with the chief mourner's full name as the addressee
4. If you do not know the chief mourner, add go-izoku-sama (the bereaved family) to the deceased's name
5. Take doubled words and words of the wrong religion out of the text
6. Put the company name, department name and your name as the sender

wake, tsuya (通夜)

The ceremony held before the funeral. Because of its character as something you hurry to, it is said that plain-colored ordinary clothes will do.

go-tamagushi-ryo (御玉串料)

The inscription used at a Shinto funeral. Go-sakaki-ryo is also used. Prayer beads are not used at Shinto ceremonies.

go-hana-ryo (御花料)

The inscription used at a Christian funeral. Buddhist words such as meifuku and kuyo are not used.

imikotoba (忌み言葉), words to be shunned

Words such as kasanegasane, tabitabi and kaesugaesu, avoided at funerals because they suggest the misfortune will be repeated.

condolence telegram, chouden (弔電)

A telegram of condolence sent when you cannot attend. Arrange it addressed to the funeral hall and the chief mourner, in time for the wake or the funeral service.

kanchu o-mimai (寒中御見舞)

The inscription used when giving after the matsunouchi period has passed. Into the new year up to the end of matsunouchi it is go-nenga.

※ There is no public regulation on this. It is an organized summary of widely accepted business practice