Business Seminar Report: "Why Meetings with Japanese Teams Stay Silent."

Why Meetings with Japanese Teams Stay Silent

What happens when Dutch CEOs and local managers of Japanese manufacturing giants sit in the same room to discuss this exact challenge? 

Yesterday, 13th July 2026, we hosted an eye-opening executive session under this title at Bar Beton, and the energy in the room was incredible.

For many of our attendees—including local Dutch managers from major Japanese manufacturing companies and local CEOs—concepts like "Nemawashi" (根回し) and "Ringi" (稟議) were terms they had never heard before.  

As we mapped out the step-by-step approval flow and contrasted the risk horizons of both cultures, you could practically see the "aha!" moments happening in real time.  

They quickly realized that the friction they experience in joint meetings isn't a communication gap or a lack of engagement—it’s a fundamental difference in how decisions are structured:  

• Europe / Netherlands: Fast, real-time debate in the room to manage short-term risk.

• Japan: Quiet, 1-on-1 consensus-building beforehand (Nemawashi) to manage long-term risk.  

  

  Ringi Process

Once you understand that the Japanese meeting room is where decisions are confirmed, not made, your entire approach to collaboration changes. You learn how to "enter the room before the room".  

A massive thank you to all the leaders who brought their real-world challenges to the table. Seeing these cross-cultural dots connect is exactly why we do what we do at Sakura Japanese Workshop.

Want to unlock smoother collaboration with your Japanese partners? Let's connect!