Your bilingual back office in Japan

Hello. Thank you for joining me for this video on Japanese Business Etiquette. This video focuses on how to exchange business cards.

Business cards are an important part of doing business in Japan. When meeting a client for the first time, you exchange business cards as a way of introduction. There are a set of rules for doing it correctly.

Let's watch how people in Japan exchange business cards.

Exchanging business cards (0:51)
Hajime mashite. HTM Kabushikigaisha no Bancroft to moushimasu. Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.

Choudai itashimasu. Kabushikigaisha Rainbow no Fukai to moushimasu. Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.

Choudai itashimasu.

Points to remember (1:15)
When exchanging cards, there are three points to remember.

First, use both hands to present your business card with your name facing the client.

Second, introduce your company's name and your name, then pass your card to the client.

In this case he said, 'Hajime mashite. HTM Kabushikigaisha no Bancroft to moushimasu. Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu'.
Which means, 'Nice to meet you. I am Bancroft from HTM corporation. I am looking forward to working with you.'

If you are not comfortable speaking in Japanese, you can greet them in other languages.

During the exchange, keep your hands in a lower position than the client's hands.

Third, accept the client's business card with both hands.
Take 2-3 seconds to read the person's name and title.

Those were 3 points to remember when exchanging cards.

Meeting with several people (2:25)
Next, let's look at the rulesfor exchanging business cards when meeting with several people.

In a meeting with several people, exchange business cards in order of job title. Move from the person with the highest to the lowest job title. The host with the highest job title should begin the business card exchange.

Then, exchange cards with others in the same order.
When sitting down, place the cards on the table in front of you slightly to your left.

Arrange them from left to right in order of job title or by seating arrangement.

In Japan, business cards are more than just pieces of paper containing contact information. They are the representations of people. Learning how to exchange business cards is essential for smoothly conducting business in Japan.

If you are interested in this topic and want to know more about doing business in Japan, please contact us by phone or email. Thank you for listening to this video.