Why Does It Take the Japanese So Long to Decide Just About Everything?
Ever felt stuck in endless meetings with Japanese clients? Here’s how a Dutchman can help you turn frustration into making sense of decision-making in Japan
What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
- Albert Einstein
You’ve been here before. A potential Japanese client is interested in your product, but before committing, they send you a list of questions. Then another, with increasingly specific queries that seem only loosely related to the product or deal you’re proposing.
You wonder why, but you answer the most important ones, hoping to speed things up— only to find yourself in yet another meeting where different stakeholders ask the same things all over again.
Weeks pass. A decision is still nowhere in sight.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. I’m in B2B sales in Japan and I’ve struggled with the sheer volume of questions and the slow-moving nature of Japanese decision-making. For one of my clients developing renewable energy plants in Japan, over the past four years, we have been making 63 proposals to potential Japanese end-users. Some of them with five or six iterations.
Countless questions, endless meetings. And still — no contract.
The business case is a no-brainer. Pay back in no time. Good for the environment. Everyone is happy. And yet — no decision.
You can imagine how frustrating that can feel. In any other market, we’d be moving forward by now. Instead, I found myself trapped in an endless loop of discussions, clarifications, and more meetings.
So I started digging for answers. I needed to know why.
And once I did, a whole new world opened up. Patterns emerged. Things that seemed irrational began to make sense. And with that, everything changed — we’ve adapted our approach, and suddenly, we begin to see progress.
Once you understand how Japanese managers and companies are wired, frustration turns into clarity. And with clarity you can make better choices, which in turn will lead to better results.
Now let’s take a closer look.
So Why Does It Take So Long?
For many foreign managers, working with Japanese companies can feel like wading through molasses. Everything takes time. Every decision requires exhaustive discussion. Approval processes drag on for months.
It’s tempting to wonder: Why can’t they just decide?
The Quick Answer: The Four Guiding Principles
Japanese decision-making is shaped by four fundamental ideas:
Avoid bad decisions – In Japan, the priority isn’t speed — it’s getting it right. Mistakes can be costly, both in financial terms and for your reputation, so careful scrutiny is non-negotiable.
Align with all stakeholders – Decisions aren’t made by individuals but by consensus. Everyone affected needs to be on board – or at least be consulted – before moving forward.
Slow but thorough beats fast but risky – A well-considered decision, even if delayed, is better than a quick one that leads to problems down the line.
Think through all consequences – Japanese companies take a long-term, holistic view, carefully weighing how today’s decisions will play out years into the future.
Western business cultures, particularly in the U.S., often prioritize speed, monetary gains, and a bias for action.
Japan takes the opposite approach: minimize risk, maximize stability.
The Cultural Context
To grasp why Japanese businesses operate this way, I had to dig deeper — connect patterns I observed in the real world with insights from psychology, behavioral science, and cross-cultural management.
For 20 years, I’ve helped overseas companies navigate partnerships with Japanese firms. At Mitsui, one of Japan’s largest trading and investment companies, we were told, “Go find new business.” But when we did, progress stalled. Dozens of approval gates stood between an idea and execution. Looking back, it all makes sense.
I saw Japan’s deep-rooted risk aversion firsthand — felt it in every meeting, every delay, every exhaustive discussion. But it didn’t fully click until I recalled a concept from business school: Uncertainty Avoidance.
Years ago, I studied Geert Hofstede, a Dutch researcher who spent decades at IBM surveying thousands across cultures. His insights weren’t just theories — they reflected real people making real decisions in real business environments. And suddenly, everything made sense.
Avoiding Uncertainty: The Fear of the Unknown
Geert Hofstede has become famous for a framework called Hofstede’s “Dimensions of Culture”, which compares national business cultures across six key traits:
Individualism (vs. Collectivism)
Power Distance
Masculinity (vs. Femininity)
Uncertainty Avoidance (vs. Risk Tolerance)
Long-Term Orientation (vs. Focus on the Short Term)
Indulgence (vs. Restraint)
Among these, Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) is particularly relevant here.
Hofstede’s research has revealed that Japan ranks among the highest in the world for uncertainty avoidance.
In simple terms, this means Japanese companies dislike ambiguity and do everything possible to reduce risk. Unchecked uncertainty can lead to costly errors, reputational damage, and internal discord — all things Japanese businesses work hard to prevent.
By contrast, the U.S. has a low uncertainty avoidance score, meaning American businesses are more comfortable with taking risks, adjusting on the fly, and making quick decisions even with incomplete information.
In Europe, the British, the Danes and the Swedes have a relatively high tolerance towards ambiguity – they are comfortable moving forward with a decision even if they do not have all the answers.
This can clash with the Japanese approach, where decisions are only made after extensive deliberation and questioning of every details before a contract is signed – something many foreign managers find frustrating.
In the map below, note the stark contrast in color between regions such as China or North America and Japan. This visual difference reflects a fundamental gap in decision-making approaches. While some cultures prioritize speed and adaptability, Japan emphasizes risk reduction and careful deliberation.
Interestingly, as someone with both German and French roots, I found Hofstede’s research particularly revealing. It turns out my fellow citizens also have a strong tendency to avoid uncertainty, though on a different level than the Japanese.
I could dive into further research or critics of Hofstede’s concept, but I think it can serve you well as a mental model.
The fundamental difference in their approach to uncertainty (i.e. risk-taking) explains a lot about why negotiations between Western and Japanese companies often feel mismatched.
So who’s the real decision-maker inside a Japanese company?
By now, you have a first grasp into why Japanese decision-making often feels like a marathon, not a sprint. It’s not about inefficiency — it’s about risk reduction, alignment, and making sure nothing blows up later.
But knowing why things move at a snail’s pace is just the start. The real question is: how does this play out inside a Japanese company? And who is actually taking the decisions?
In my next posts, we’ll crack open the corporate playbook — what keeps managers from taking decisions on their own and why, often, even the CEO won’t just sign off and call it a day.
And once I’ve mapped out the system, we’ll look at how you can work with it, not against it — so you can stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress.
TL;DR: Once you accept that Japanese decision-making is built for risk reduction, not speedy results, you can work within the system instead of fighting it.
Stay tuned.