Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Archives

Doing Business In Japan: A Practical Guide To Selling In Japan Using Distributors, Importers & Agents

There’s a lot of confusing information out there about doing business in Japan. 🚫 Information from college professors and government bureaucrats who have no real-world experience 🚫 Information that’s outdated and often just plain wrong 🚫 Information that only works if you’re a large multinational corporation You won’t find any of that here. Instead, you’ll discover what actually works in Japan, based on 40 years of doing business in Japan and helping more than 400 companies sell their products in …

Distribution Channels in Japan: Selling Directly To Retailers & B2B Customers In Japan

“We do great business with Best Buy in the U.S., so I’m sure retailers in Japan like Yamada Denki, Yodobashi Camera, K’s Denki, and Joshin would love to do business with us and have our products on their shelves.” In our experience, this is only partially true — these large Japanese retailers might be very interested in selling your products, but they won’t want to do business with you unless you have an office in Japan. Distribution channels in Japan …

Finding Japanese Distributors Using Government Services

Many clients come to us after unsuccessfully trying to find Japanese sales partners using the matchmaking services provided by government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Gold Key Service, UK Department for Business and Trade, Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Austrade, German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (AHK Japan), Business France, and Switzerland Global Enterprise. Why are these government agencies rarely successful in helping foreign companies connect with the right Japanese distributors or sales agents? I’ve talked …

Do You Need “Connections” To Find The Right Japanese Distributor?

I’m often asked by new clients if we have experience in their industry. The underlying belief here seems to be that you need “connections” to do business with Japanese companies or need to “know someone” in order for distributors in Japan to take you seriously. This is simply not true. We have cold-called thousands of Japanese distributors and I can say with great confidence that the vast majority of Japanese distributors are extremely open to hearing about new business opportunities… …