What are the challenges and opportunities facing Japanese HR departments, whether the firms in question be domestic (国内) or foreign-capitalized (外資系)?

Today we'll talk with Jun Kabigting, a Tokyo-based Japan HR expert.

• Is Japan HR unique? 
  
• If so, what makes Japan HR unique?
  
• What makes it different or unique compared to the US and say Western practices?
  
• What about the ability to reduce a workforce or realign personnel, are there legal considerations?  
  
• How difficult is it to terminate an employee, even for "cause" or "performance issues"?
• What are the direct and indirect costs of a mishire in Japan?
• What are the biggest challenges now? -- For HR professionals and for organizations? 
  
• What challenges and also opportunities do you see on the horizon? -- For HR professionals and for organizations? 

• How exactly does Japanese patent litigation work?
  
• What is the deposition process?
  
• What role do translators and interpreters play?
  
• How do you evaluate and select a translator or interpreter?
  
• What are the risks?
  

 
In a nutshell, how does one overcome the deep and inherent cultural and linguistic informational asymmetries in this domain?

Well, today we'll hear from William "Bill" Lise, a Tokyo-based expert, and
arguably the foremost authority on the field of Japanese patent translations and patent litigation interpretation.   

Don't miss out!

Seasoned Japan-hands know that there are huge cultural and informational asymmetries in regards to recruiting and talent acquisition in Japan vs US and what is found in most other countries.

In this episode we discuss and consider the key differences, obstacles and opportunities of recruiting and talent acquisition in the US and Japan.

• A Comparison of industry models
  
• Client viewpoints
  
• Japan vs USA candidate pools
  
• Recruiting firms' business models
  
• Client vs Candidate Focus
  
• Differences Between Candidates in US and Japan
  
• Seniority Systems, Heirarchies, Gender Considerations
  
• Japanese Outlooks on Risk vs Rewards
  
• Japanese Lifespans and Workspans
  
• Candidate Talent Pools & Fit Requirements
  
• Recruiting Fees and Terms
  
• Factors driving this fee structure include
  
• Active vs Passive Candidates
  
• Tapping into Alternative Labor Pools
  

Join us as we talk with Tom Furlong, the Managing Director of Harvard Group International. Tom has extensive front-line experience in the life sciences industry including a 13-year career at Ciba Vision / Novartis in the US as well having deep recruiting experience in both the US and Japan where he focused his recruiting efforts on the life sciences industry.

FirstPoint Japan's new introduction video is now out. To further help foreign businesses succeed in the Japanese market, we'll be releasing a series of powerful business acceleration programs that have never before been seen in this market and which will allow us together to explore and explode the Myths and Memes of Japan that humble, hobble or annihilate so many foreign businesses' efforts to enter or grow in the Japanese market.

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, SiliconEdge

In response to Richard Solomon's (Beacon Reports) very thoughtful piece first questioning and then analyzing the ability of Japanese firms to complete globally (see: Can Japanese Firms Compete In Global Markets?), I had written an article entitled "Can Japan Compete Globally? You Betcha And Here's Why".

The purpose of my article was not only to surface and then to debunk what I see as a plethora of Myths and Memes that continually surface in the media and in our daily conversations regarding Japan but also to help us all question the other Myths and Memes that govern our lives.

Of the many comments I've received, I'm mostly interested in the comments that disagree with my article or point of view because these help test the soundness of the arguments I've forwarded.

Here is an example of a common but very thoughtful response which is in disagreement with my arguments:

I say "not yet" (Japan can't compete) - because of the inner structure of Japanese companies. Everything takes just too long. They are usually too late, so foreign competitors, for instance Indians have already landed deals while Japanese still circle around decisions."

Here's my reply to such comments.

I. Speed of Decision Making: What Is The Real Value?
No one with any amount of first hand Japan business experience will doubt or question the generally molasses-like decision making process found within Japanese companies and organizations.

However, the speed of decision making is just but one important aspect of a country's competitiveness although, to be sure, there are first mover / early mover advantages to be had as well as disadvantages to consider and avoid. There is also the timing of a decision for economic or other reasons to consider.

But beyond the speed of decision making, it would be wise to consider both the quality of decision and decision making process as well as the ability to execute effectively.

II. The Empirics Trump The Myth & Meme 
For for all its warts, blemishes and shortcomings, Japan is still the number three economy in the world.

Japan's GDP stands at 5,87 billion USD.
India's GDP stands at 1.89 billion USD.

Japan's GDP is 3.1 times larger than India's. Or conversely India's GDP is just 32% of Japan. Put in yet another way, India's GDP is less than one-third the size of Japan's.

Can it be any clearer than this?

(notes: recently we have seen large fluctuations in exchange rates,especially with regard to the devaluation of the rupee; see BBC News - Indian rupee falls to new low against US dollar, August 28, 2013;  these GDP figures come from 2011; ).

Now let's consider the case of India further.

Are you tired of reading about Japan from the "Japan is Weird" school of journalism?

You know, such as the debunked story about the supposed "Japan eyeball licking" craze.

So are we.

Interested in real, actionable expert advice on Japan? 

You'll find it here.

The fact is news on Japan, from the Western media and Western perspective, normally falls into one of two categories, basically it's a bi-modal distribution that looks like this:

1. Japan is a cyberpunk weirdo country, where eyeball licking is the country's new favorite past time.

...or...

2. Japan is a robotic, lobotomized colony of Borg, ala the "Japan, Inc." or earlier "Yellow Peril" memes.

It's no wonder, then, that so many foreign firms underperform or fail in Japan.

But now there's a third school of journalism about Japan -- from the FirstPoint Japan school of journalism and it features actionable, ROI-based, expert advice.

It may not be as sexy or titillating as the eyeball licking or Akihabara maid cafe stories but it'll help you grow and accelerate your business in Japan at best and in the very least it'll ensure you keep your job.

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, SiliconEdge

Richard Solomon of Beacon Reports recently wrote a very thoughtful piece first questioning and then analyzing the ability of Japanese firms to complete globally (see: Can Japanese Firms Compete In Global Markets?)

I. Myths & Memes
As so often happens with this and many other topics, ranging from war to innovation to relationships and dating, the question itself is beset if not hobbled with a series of Myths and Memes which we'll explore and unravel together in a series of future articles. 

II. Are Japanese Baseball Players Good Enough For Major League Baseball?
My first thought upon reading this article was simply how it parallels this modern reality: Are Japanese baseball players good enough for major league baseball?

Think about it.  We used to ask this very same question about Japanese baseball players. Could Japanese baseball players make it in the major leagues?  Sure, we all knew that the Japanese players were solid players, they were good, no one disputed that but we wanted to know could the Japanese baseball players really make it in the major leagues? (see: The New Age Of Japanese Baseball-Player Media Coverage Sam Robinson May 9, 2008)

III. Can Japan Compete Globally On A Military Basis?
From historical records we know that the Japanese can compete globally, industrially, cultural and, yes, even militarily. So let's start with the military perspective. Militarily, the fierce fighting tactics and spirits of Japanese soldiers during WWII lead to horrific allied battle casualties, both physical and psychological (see: Thousand Yard Stare), that in many cases easily outstripped what was encountered in the European theater (although there are obviously some exceptions). And, of course, some of the fiercest battles of WWII were held in the Pacific theater: Tarawa. Saipan. Midway. Coral Sea. Marshall Islands, Eniwetok. Guadalcanal. Iwo Jima, and, of course,Okinawa all come to mind along with the horrific casualties and loss of life among both soldiers and civilians.

Japan aims to return to Walkman glory days
STUART BRAUN

In an effort to climb back to its Walkman glory days, Japan is investing heavily in R&D, especially in its technology strongholds. But the culture may not have the same appetite for risk as its competitors and may be outpaced by more aggressive countries, experts say.

When Japan exclusively developed and manufactured Walkmans, Honda hatchbacks and Nintendos, it was set to overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy. Today, Japan continues to be a world-leading high-tech innovator. Yet in commercial terms, the competition has caught up, and is often running ahead. As the Apples and Samsungs of the world outcompete Sony and Panasonic, Japanese companies are trying to revive the country’s economic miracle.


Others argue that Japan’s declining competitiveness is less a lack of innovation than of leadership. “Innovation by itself, though mesmerizing, is worthless without productization. And productization is worthless without monetization,” says James Santagata, managing director of SiliconEdge, a Tokyo-based leadership development consultancy working with startups in Japan and the United States.

Mr. Santagata describes a number of pioneering innovations emerging from Japanese corporate R&D, such as Sony’s Location Free TV. “Yet due to corporate constraints on monetization of these innovations for fear of rocking the boat, or cannibalizing some products, they allow scrappy firms like Sling Media [U.S. producer of the Slingbox Internet TV interface] to come from behind that gobble up the market,” he says.

The Global & Mail (Stuart Braun):
Japan ranked first worldwide in ‘Capacity for innovation’ on the World Economic Forum’s 2012 Global Competitiveness Report, and second in terms of Company Spending on R&D. Is this reflected in real ongoing innovation in Japan?    

According to the "Global Innovation Barometer" survey by General Electric Co. released in March, Japan's self-assessments were the lowest among the surveyed countries. Does this surprise you in light of the WEF competitiveness report? What is causing the dissonance in these views of Japanese competitiveness and innovation?

SiliconEdge (James Santagata):
For decades Japan has been churning out innovation after innovation, some of which are both very visible and "sexy", such as today's automobiles or when Japan dominated the video entertainment and portable audio player market. Many other innovations, such as those by Toray composites, are critical albeit invisible as they are industrially rather than  consumer focused. Nevertheless, this innovation continues today.

Paradoxically, while rest of the world recognizes Japanese prowess in regards to innovation, the Japanese themselves are much less impressed by their innovations. Partly this can be explained by Japanese tendencies towards humility and introspection. Beyond this, however, much more can be attributed to the perceived (from the Japanese perspective) if not actual lack of visible let alone "sexy" innovations, primarily in the consumer space.