Today’s business slang is “Amakudari”.

By “Amakudari” system people who are going to retire from parent companies or banks are transferred to their subsidiaries. 

By accepting the retiring people subsidiaries get business from their parent companies and also get loan by banks.  “Amakudari” system also deliver saucer function of the retiring people for parent companies.

However, in reality, if they are not useful the subsidiaries do not need them.  And “Amakudari” system is disappearing gradually nowadays.  Therefore, the retiring people from big companies and banks have to find their second career firms by themselves.  And subsidiaries need to get business not only by depending on human relationship.

Today’s Japanese Business Slang is “Kigyou-senshi”.

“Kigyou-senshi” means “Corporate Warriors”.  Japanese businessmen were called Corporate Warriors in 1990.

“Warriors”, not “Workers”, who fight deadly.

Famous copy of one TV advertisement was “Can you fight 24 hours?”

Here the word of “Fight” was used instead of “Work”.

In 1990 the monthly overwork hours was averagely over 100 which is beyond “Karoushi Line (Death by Overwork)”.  Everyone worked too hard.

Definitely unbelievable.

Today’s  business slang is “Service Zangyou”.

It means “Voluntary overtime work without payment”

In Japan many employees do “Service Zangyou” today.

Each department is allocated Overtime work budget and department heads also show the maximum number of overtime each month to each employee.

And employees do  not apply for the overtime because they can not finish their job within the allocated overtime hours.

Realistically bosses are required to assign jobs considering each employees’ capabilities and allocated overtime budget, but they are too lazy to do so.

In Japan it is not considered good to claim too much.  Therefore, employees are too patient and bring back their jobs to their home to finish without payment.

What do you think we can do to improve this situation? 

Today’s business slang is “Tsukiai-Zangyou”.

Even though one finishes the day’s work, he/she is forced to overwork with his/her boss, colleagues because they overwork.  Some boss require employee to “Tsukiai-Zangyou”.

And in many cases he/she are requested to go for drink after “Tsukiai-Zangyou”.

We should network with friends who belongs to different industries, study for self-growth, or spend enjoyable time with your loved one.  If you always be with the same company people, your eye-sight will be narrowed, which is not good.

Today’s Business Slang is “Karoushi”, meaning “Overwork Death”.

“Karoushi” is used in overseas, too and it means “Death by overwork”.

This type of death is only in Japan.

For your information, “Karoushi line” is defined by Japanese government is 80 hours overtime work per month.  If you overwork 80 hours /month for 2-6 months, it will cause your health trouble.  And this is legally admitted.

30 year ago, we used to overwork 100 hours/month in Japan, but nobody died due to the overwork.  Things have changed as time goes by.

Today’s Japanese business slang is “Nomi-nication”

This is the coined word with “Nomi-masu” meaning drinking beer and “Communication”.

Japanese businessmen communicate their real intention over drinking beer at Izakaya (Beer restaurant) instead of at the formal meetings. 

Therefore, many important decisions are made at “Izakaya”, not at the meetings in Japanese companies.

Strange business culture!!

Today’s Business Japanese is “Black company”(Black Kigyou).

What do you think it means?

It means the companies who do bad thing, for example, firms requiring long time overwork and companies not paying for employees’ overwork. 

Same situations happen not only to employees but to part-time workers.  And we call it “Black Albeit”.

If you work for “Black company” please do not hesitate to call to the Labor Standards Inspection Office.

Today’s business Japanese is “Douchou-atsuryoku”

Japanese people feel relief when he/she is same as the others.  When he/she goes to the drinking party he/she is supposed to drink beer if others drink beer.

That is because we only have the same race, same language, and the same religion people in Japan, which is similar idea as “Mura-shakai” mentioned before.

In the meeting we are supposed not to speak out the opposition.

This is also same idea as “Kuuki-o-yomu”, explained previously.

Thus, we call the atmosphere to press same thoughts and same opinion to others “Douchou-atsuryoku”.  “Douchou-atsuryoku” is specific to Japan and is considered bad because diversity is not admitted.  And we try to change the atmosphere these days in Japan.

Today’s Business Japanese is “Kabu no mochiai”(Ownership of share with each other).

This is specific business practice of Japanese companies.

We have several Zaibatsu group such as Mitsubishi, Mitsui, and Sumitomo in Japan.

Companies in the same Zaibatsu group own stock with each other and they never sell them at the stock market.

The reasons are to avoid the big stock price change, to prevent hostile M&A, and to say “No” to the extreme requests by the shareholders.

This style of management is called “Gosou-sendan-houshiki”

Did you know it？

Today’s business Japanese is “Mura-shakai (Village society)”.

Japan is surrounded by the seas and did not accept immigrants historically.

Therefore, there are only Japanese people in Japan basically and in that sense Japan is very closed society.

The Japanese people very much care for the neighbors about who they are and what they are doing and interfere with each other.  We call that kind of society “Mura-shakai”

In the “Mura-shakai” everyone is expected to think, speak and behave in the same way.

For some people that kind of environment is common, but for others it is very uncomfortable.

How do you like this kind of closed country?