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![[A]](../img/shared/frame-body/icon_answer_na.gif){kind=icon}
- Which work do you feel is most fulfilling?
- My business areas are always changing. For example, the scope of products I deal with ranges from electronic materials to chemical products. In the field of semiconductors, new technologies are constantly developed. Tremendous amounts of study are required when we tap into new business fields. But this is the interesting part of launching something new.
- Do you find any differences in the business approaches of Japan and the United States?
- In business negotiations, American businesspeople often make impossible or difficult demands or requests at the beginning, knowing such demands will not be accepted by the other parties. If the other parties are Americans, they turn them down without hesitation. But Japanese businesspeople, under such situation, come to feel sorry for not being able to accept the demands. Thus, instead of immediately saying “No,” they start to give lengthy explanations on the situation surrounding the business matter in question. Being Japanese, I can understand why they feel sorry for the other party in such situations. But the other party does not seek any explanation if it confirms the answer to the demand is “No.” This is because they know the demand is too outrageous to be accepted.
When Japanese suppliers come to the United States on a business trip, I sometimes serve as their interpreter for American customers. In that case, I request the Japanese side to clarify “Yes” or “No” right from the beginning.
- How do you spend weekends and time after work?
- Japanese workers attach importance to deepening communication with fellow workers during after-work hours. In the United States, opportunities for deepening worker-to-worker communications may exist after work. But no American workers have dinner with their superiors multiple times a week.
After finishing the day’s work, I basically go home and eat dinner with my family. Spending time with my family after work is important for me. I have three sons. The eldest son is 7 years old. The other two are twins–4 years old. On weekends, I teach them how to play golf. The 4-year olds practice at the golf range, but the eldest son plays at a golf course. He also participates in golf competitions. When he competes, my family members cheer him on. But when we cheer, his golf score is usually not good!
This picture was taken when I played golf with a customer at Pebble Beach during the Near Year holiday season. In the face of the economic slump, Pebble Beach offers a discount campaign every month, allowing visitors to play at reasonable prices (still expensive compared with other golf courses) without staying at the hotel–a condition that has continued for a long time.
