Not too long ago, I spoke with the directors of two Japan-U.S. business and economic centers. The first is a brilliantly interesting man who is both academically minded and worldly. He understands that there is a need for change in the way that Japan is represented and thought of in business today. Many of these centers were created decades ago when Japan was less "known" to Americans and were in fact created to promote Japan and its image in America. To put a face on this juggernaut that seemed to be taking over the business world.
The other director is equally interesting but mostly academically minded with a focus on fund-raising for his center and publishing academic papers on Japanese economy and business. He did admit that it is getting harder to gain funding for centers. Well times are hard that is for sure. Corporate donors are not doling out as much money as they once did. However, I feel that is not the only reason.
Japan-US Business and Economic centers, as they exist, are simply no longer relevant.
Most of the centers have not changed enough with the times. Japan is no longer the mysterious, impossible to understand and navigate, far away land with supreme management powers wanting to conquer the American economy.
There is much more known about Japan these days and certainly as the second largest economy, it is not so different from the U.S. Business is business after all. If anything, China is the new mysterious global giant on the block. But China is all about business. Cultural differences are present of course but they are dealt with not used as an excuse to keep closed and exclusive.
But back to Japan. It is time to bring Japan to the people as I like to say. I feel that Japan should no longer be shrouded in rarefied air of major corporate programs and conferences. It needs to be represented as a major global force that is open and accepting of business and communication on all levels—small and mid-size businesses included.
Where once only larger companies did business with Japan, more and smaller enterprises are taking that plunge and making a success in this far away land. So why not focus on this? Why not promote this extensively. Is it in the interest of the Japan-US centers to keep Japan in a certain state of mega-corporate secrecy?
Not if they want to help improve the economy.
One centers' director mentioned that he is too busy fund-raising to even think about writing a blog once in a while. I can see where the challenge lies. If these centers have continually gone after the same company's coffers over the decades, these companies might no longer be able to foot those high donations.
So what if they take the fund-raising to smaller companies? Sure smaller and mid-size companies are not able to donate millions or hundreds of thousands, BUT they would donate. Why not have a 1000 smaller companies donating smaller amounts and create programs that help them crack the Japanese market? Fund programs on this level that would educate smaller businesses and help them explore opportunities in Japan. This would make Japan more "accessible to the masses” for a lack of better term.
And why not? In these times, business is what is important. A select few might still want to keep Japan mysterious and unavailable but surely they would not last long in business and that is not a model that serves the U.S., the centers or Japan.
Open the doors to Japan wider and include the "lay people" and all sized businesses. They want to do business with Japan too.
These centers and trade offices should design new programs for them—seminars that show the opportunities that are in Japan and available to smaller companies. In the New Year, my company will be launching a small business venture that will focus on assisting Japanese and U.S small businesses overcome the challenges of doing business with each other.
Its not as hard as it has been made out to be and in these challenging times, we are certainly willing to go the distance to make it happen.
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