Effective Emailing, Part II

I once wrote about effective emailing tips for Japanese business people. Recently I came across two cases where two American emailed Japanese business people, CC-ing me as well. When I read the two email conversations, I decided that it was a perfect example of effective and ineffective emailing to Japanese business people.

I am going to exhibit the two cases as follows. People’s names and details are changed to protect their privacy.

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Dear Toshiro Mifune-san:

I hope you survived your trip back to Seattle and are not too jet-lagged. It was nice to meet you & exchange stories last Friday.

I will be returning to the US for a brief visit during the week of March 24-28. I should be in the city at least one or two of those days and would love the opportunity to stop in and say hello. It would be good to see your studio & setup.

As I mentioned the other night, my niece is still looking for an internship where she can use her Japanese. If your company is interested in a temporary, unpaid intern for a few weeks, please let me know and we could set up an interview.

Get some rest and I look forward to seeing you when I return!

Best regards,

James Bond

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This email conveys an amicable message to Toshiro Mifune-san. James doesn’t get to the point immediately. He addressed “Dear Toshiro Mifune-san”, followed by his concerns about Toshiro’s health and trip to the US. The main point appears in the third paragraph. Many Japanese feel comfortable with this style. In the last paragraph, James again shows his concern about Toshiro’s health. Japanese call it “Omoiyari”, which can be translated into “thoughtfulness” or “consideration”.

The second email goes as follows.

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I have attached the file to this email. I will see you soon again as scheduled.

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There are only two sentences. Perhaps for dynamic American business people, this will be highly succinct and successful email, getting rid of wasteful and unnecessary words. However, many Japanese feel uncomfortable with this style of writing. This person didn't address the email to the person, nor include a “Hello”
, “Hi”, or “Dear”. The message doesn’t end with “Sincerely”, “Regards”, “Best regards”, or anything; it is just the pertinent information. The writer has even left out his own name. He wrote only the two important messages for him and for the addressee, a Japanese businessperson. This might work well in the US, but for the Japanese, this style of writing could risk the relations with Japanese business counterparts because it is so impersonal. Further, since the Japanese don’t show negative responses in words, many American business people who stick to this "to-the-point" only writing style, don't understand why their Japanese business counterparts are not so eager to communicate with them. Establishing amicable relations, even in emails, will help you make stronger connections with your Japanese counterparts and get better, faster results

Cross culturally yours,

Shintaro