I recently wrote at www.panasianbiz.com that Bribery is the lubricant for Chinese business deals. It reminded me of what I used to hear when I was in Japan.

Booze is the lubricant for Japanese society.

For whatever reason, the Japanese are not a sociable people. Sure, they hang out together, drink together, go skiing together and such.

But, in the ‘land of opposites’ silence is indeed golden and the less said yet more understood the better is the rule of a good relationship.

When Japanese go partying, the booze flows. When business deals are on the table, toasts are made.

I may be wrong but, it seems to me the Japanese like to get a drink or two inside them and then talk. Once they have that first drink, they feel free to talk.

If what they said is accepted, they are happy. If what they said is frowned upon or disagreed with, it can be shrugged off as a drunken slip of the tongue.

I have seen improvement in the English ability of many Japanese as soon as they have one drink. The guard is down, and they feel free to try.

They will try to make an offer, a proposal, a suggestion to the young lady they have had their eye on…all when the drinks flow.

In Japan, sake, beer, liquor, is indeed the lubricant of Japanese society.

What do you think?

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