Joe Massey PhD
- More than 40 years of Asian experience in senior positions advising business and government, leading or advising on government and business negotiations, and in research and graduate business education, all focused on Japan, China and Vietnam.
- Served two Presidents in White House posts at the Office of Policy Development and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 1982 to 1992. Assistant U.S. Trade Representative and chief U.S. trade negotiator with Japan and China from 1985 to 1992 with primary responsibility for the development and implementation of U. S. trade policy and negotiating strategy toward Japan and the People's Republic of China. Led all negotiations with China, securing landmark agreements on intellectual property protection and market access, and led or played a major role in some thirty negotiations with Japan across all major industrial and commercial sectors.
- Professor and Founding Director of the Center for International Business at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business.
- Led the U.S. team in a joint Vietamese-American initiative that launched Vietnam's first modern business school, the Hanoi School of Business at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi. Supervised the training of 350 senior executives of companies that today account for more than 35 percent of Vietnam's GDP.
- Have advised numerous Fortune Global 500 clients on Asian market entry, business development, government relations and regulatory strategies.
- All 7 Best Practices
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- Meeting Summary Report
- Post-Meeting Engagement
Doing Business with the Japanese
Overview
For companies looking to expand their global footprint, Japan presents both opportunities and challenges.
As the world's third-largest economy, fourth-largest importer and exporter, and home base to some of the world’s top multinationals, it's clear why so many companies are interested in Japan – both as a market of its own and as a base for access to other Asian markets.
Japan is a safe and secure place to do business. It has a stable business-friendly government, low corruption rate and solid rule of law. It has a relatively transparent and open regulatory regime and boasts a world-class communications and transportation infrastructure.
The country provides opportunities for companies interested in reaching Japan's high-income consumers as well as high-profile companies in electronics, automobiles, energy, IT, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods. And many Japanese companies have long experience and wide contacts in other key Asian markets. Partnering with one of these companies, or being part of its supply chain, can be of great value to companies seeking to enter those markets.
That said, Japan can also be a challenge for newcomers. There is an obvious language barrier and some cultural differences that companies entering the country need to carefully consider. The Japanese decision-making process may be slower than companies in Western nations are accustomed to. But once decisions are made, they can be implemented quickly. The key to doing business in Japan is gaining trust with the goal of building strong, lasting relationships.
Like any business decision, entering Japan is one that will require research, due diligence and patience. Once your organization builds the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the Japanese market and understands the challenges, there can be great opportunities.