Public lectures on the Japanese Economic and Business environment
From the 27th to the 29th of March 2019, a public lecture series on economic activity and business environment in Japan were held for the second year in a row under the auspices of the Department for Asian studies – Japanese studies and EARL. The participants had the honour of being addressed by the Ambassador of Japan in Slovenia, His Excellency Mr. Masaharu Yoshida. He was also received by the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Monika Kalin Golob.
Participants followed very interesting lectures on doing business with Japanese companies, cross-cultural differences and the importance of knowledge about Japanese culture and customs, needed for a successful business cooperation. As mayor of municipality Kočevje, Professor Vladimir Prebilič presented the success story, from initial challenges and obstacles to today’s business success and growth of the Japanese company Yaskawa, the world's largest manufacturer of industrial robots. Personal experiences of doing business with Japanese companies were presented also by the Director General of Helios, David Kubala. He outlined the structure of Japanese businesses and ways of doing business with the Japanese. Mr. Gregor Omahen, project manager at ELES, shared his experience working with Japanese partners in the NEDO project, emphasizing the importance of gaining the trust of Japanese partners and overcoming communication barriers and cross-cultural differences. Everyone agreed that it takes a lot of patience and persistence and that it is extremely important to gain trust by the Japanese partners. Furthermore, one has to adapt to their business environment, customs and practices.
Friday's lectures were highly informative for Japan Studies students, as former students of the Asian Studies Department discussed about their work experiences after graduation, notably in tourism, language teaching, interpretation and translation, as well as characteristics of Japanese as tourists and the specifics of doing business with them. Students were advised to make the most out of the knowledge they gain during their studies, and to upgrade it with the studies or exchange abroad. They warned the students about pitfalls they could face in the labour market and gave them many useful tips for the time after finishing their studies.