Will LasryFounder, Glass Factory · 1.5M+ Online | Vogue 100 Innovators

The Sad Reality of Made in Japan

19 Dec 2023 · 1 min

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In this monologue, the speaker explains why manufacturing products in Japan is extremely difficult. He highlights four main obstacles: the near‑universal use of Japanese among suppliers, cultural expectations that business be conducted face‑to‑face with a handshake, an aging workforce that is shrinking and losing experienced workers, and the resulting communication and logistical barriers. Despite these challenges, the speaker argues that with patience and a willingness to engage deeply with suppliers, it is possible to forge strong, lasting factory relationships, making Japanese production worthwhile for those prepared to invest the time.

Chapters

Is it easy to make Made in Japan products? It's nearly impossible to make products in Japan, and that's just one of the sad realities of the country. When you're working with Japan, most suppliers only speak Japanese, and in general, almost 90% of the country only speaks Japanese. They don't even speak English. But another thing is cultural norms. When you're doing business with them, everything is done in person. It's a handshake business kind of country. Japan has some pretty major problems. It has an aging population which is dying off. Day by day, and factories are filled with older people who are working, who are slowly quitting or passing away as time goes on. So because of that aging population, communication barrier, doing business in person, and cultural norms, it makes it very, very difficult to make products in Japan. But it doesn't mean it's impossible. If you recognize all of that and you be very patient with the suppliers, you can build some of the strongest relationships you'll ever have with any factory. So I do believe it's worth it, but it takes a lot of patience.