Japan

The Japanese government promotes and supports the MICE sector through promotional initiatives conducted by the Japan National Tourism Organization and the trade shows themselves.

According to an international benchmark study of the conferences and exhibitions market*, Tokyo ranks second just behind Paris for hosting trade shows with over 500 exhibitors (50 events welcoming 3.8 million visitors). However, only two shows in Japan are internationally known in their sector: Foodex Japan (76,000 visitors, 3,000 exhibitors representing 78 countries) and the Tokyo Motor Show (850,000 visitors, 160 exhibitors representing 11 countries). These events are mostly organised by trade associations in the sectors concerned.

Japanese professionals are not comfortable discussing business with foreigners, mainly because of the language barrier, so they tend not to be very talkative and prefer to be accompanied by an interpreter. They favour group travel for the reassurance it brings.

Being blessed with state-of-the-art facilities in their own country, the Japanese expect to find the same quality services in France and at French trade shows, such as coin lockers for storing their belongings, electrical terminals to recharge their mobile devices and moving walkways to get around the exhibition more quickly.

Respect for business etiquette

The business culture in Japan is very different from that of Western countries. Japanese professionals are very respectful of each other and do not contact strangers directly. Picking up a person’s contact details without their permission is prohibited. This is why companies all have a general email address where they receive communications, which they pass on to the person concerned.

Once the relationship is established, personal details are exchanged in a face-to-face meeting. Using a local intermediary, like Promosalons Japan office, to approach professionals is therefore essential.

The “Land of the Rising Sun” had GDP of $4,601 billion in 2015 and ranks as the third world power after the United States and China. Despite very high public debt, due in part to social security spending, Japan is the second financial power in the world with significant cash reserves thanks to household savings ($13,828 billion) and its government pension fund, the GPIF, the largest in the world ($1,095 billion).