Some material is taken from Boye's many books exploring Asian cultural and business Code Words, business etiquette, customs, and language. Use this page's relevant keywords or clear the box and enter your own. Click on the icon for our full search facilities. One of the most common complaints about Japanese companies is that they often fail to answer business inquiries or request for information. There are, or course, two sides to the story.
Many Japanese companies receive hundreds of letters every week from all over the world.
Some of the inquiries are from large, reputable firms. Others are from small companies trying to get started in business - ranging from retail shops to private individuals. The letters from abroad come in many different languages, including such lesser known ones as Urdu, Swahili, Tagalog, and Tamil. Imagine, if you will, how many American, British, or French companies that receive dozens of letters from unknown sources, frequently in rare languages, would bother to do anything with them. But over and above this consideration, there are several reasons why written inquiries to Japanese companies are often not answered.