The Value of Face-to-Face Meetings in Japanese Business

Japanese companies love meetings. Comments I frequently read on social media from foreign workers living in Japan are: “There are too many meetings,” “Why do the Japanese love meetings so much?” or “The meetings are too long, and in the end, nothing is decided.” My personal experience is similar to these impressions, although I would like to do further research and confirm them with statistics. However, one thing that has puzzled me for some time while working in Japan is the different way the Japanese value face-to-face meetings.

Even in the era of Skype and Zoom meetings, it is not uncommon for Japanese businesspeople to take the train or the plane for a few hours to do just one session with someone. And come back the same day. A friend of mine has the experience of traveling five hours for a two-hour meeting, eating a quick bento lunch, and making the five-hour return trip on a single day. Why would you sacrifice so many productive hours for something that could be done online? The current COVID-19 pandemic is changing the game. Still, I tend to think that once the situation gets better, Japanese businessmen may return to their old ways in most cases.

Based on personal experience, my explanation is that the Japanese do not look for the same things in meetings as most Westerners do. In Western culture, meetings are mostly…