* Indian Summer 1994

   In this issue: 
     
   Feature Article:
          Tracking Japanese Technology
     
   The Translators Craft:
          Thebtleties of Syntax
     
   Insights:Perfect to the Last Detail

   Culture:There is No Excuse
   
Tracking Japanese Technology

  NEW RESOURCES SUPPORT CRITICAL TASK
   
    Japan's rise as a world-class technological power in the 1970s and
   80s took America by surprise, and some companies and industries here
   suffered major losses as a result. Information about developments in
   Japan was hard to come by, owing to distance and the language barrier.
   Still, it is difficult to avoid concluding that many companies did not
   try hard to monitor Japanese technology on an ongoing basis. The
   stereotype of Japanese as "mere imitators" blinded many to the
   realities of the laboratory and the marketplace.
   
   In Washington, a small group of people have warned over the years of
   growing technical strength abroad and the implications for defense and
   trade. These voices came to the surface in the late 1980s when the
   U.S. Department of Defense published a list of "critical technologies"
   with strategic importance. Government-funded studies revealed Japan's
   strength in a number of these areas and emphasized that many are "dual
   use" technologies with civilian implications for jobs and balance of
   payments.

   Unlike in previous decades, many resources are now available to help
   America's private and public sectors monitor Japanese technology. One
   university-based organization is the Japanese Technology Evaluation
   Center (JTEC) at Loyola College in Baltimore. The Center, funded by 
   the National Science Foundation and other U.S. government agencies, 
   sends expert panels to Japan to study progress in various fields and  
   assess U.S. competitiveness and opportunities for cooperation. An
   ongoing JTEC study of electronic packaging and manufacturing, for
   example, is concluding that although the U.S. is close to or equal to
   Japan in basic technology in this field, Japan is far ahead in
   manufacturing process development and in commercialization of R&D.
   
    JTEC studies, which can be obtained from NTIS at the U.S. Department 
   of Commerce, confirm that Japanese industry has developed significant
   technological strength in a wide range of fields, including
   carbon-fiber materials, superconductor processing, memory chips,
   optical and x-ray lithography, displays, optical memory devices, 
   laptop computer components, application of expert systems in consumer
   products, charge coupled devices, satellite pointing and positioning
   systems, flexible manufacturing and industrial application of enzymes.
   
    Nonetheless, there is a tendency to view the Japanese challenge as  
   diminishing in recent years. JTEC Staff Director Geoffrey Holdridge
   states that the current recession in Japan has left some U.S. leaders
   in industry and government "thinking that they don't have to worry 
   about Japan any more." In fact, as Christopher Voisey, based at MIT's
   Sloan School, points out, Japanese companies have responded to a
   environment of constrained R&D budgets with major improvements in R&D
   management. "The image of the large Japanese companies as `dinosaurs'
   just doesn't hold up under scrutiny. They appear to be restructuring
   quickly and effectively."

    Despite Japan's gains, some American companies cling to the old myth.
   Technology consultant Dr. Mary Mogee studies patent filings to assess
   She states, "While our data show intense
   Japanese activity in critical technology fields, some American  
   companies downplay this. They claim that Japanese file a large number
   of trivial patents, but very few that represent important novel
   technology." Mogee's analysis filters out the influence of quantity 
   alone and shows clearly that "in many fields Japan is neck-and-neck   
   with the United States, and ahead of the rest of the world, in
   technological capability." Author and translator Frederick Schodt, an
   expert on the Japanese robotics industry, echoes Mogee in his book 
   America and the Four Japans (Stone Bridge Press, 1994): "Those who   
   cling to the outdated notion that Japanese are uncreative copycats do
   so at their own risk." 
   
    Three other organizations trying to fill the information gap are the
   Japan Information Access Project (JIAP), a D.C.-based non-profit that
   helps its members find and evaluate information on Japanese
   technologies and policies; and Sematech and MCC, high tech research
   consortia founded to improve American competitiveness by pooling
   resources among major companies. Even the Library of Congress is 
   helping in the effort through its new Japan Documentation Center.

   Japan watchers such as JTEC and JIAP use Japanese language   
   publications, study missions, personal contacts in Japanese industry 
   and government, privately commissioned consulting reports and Japanese
   on-line databases to follow in detail the movements of Japan's
   technology players. A recent wave of seminars for U.S. companies about
   accessing Japanese information, and continuing growth of university
   courses to teach Japanese language to American scientists and
   engineers, are hopeful signs that Japan-related skills are spreading
   and that outdated images of Japan are dying. Japan's technological
   strength offers many challenges as well as opportunities, but an
   ongoing monitoring of developments in Japan must be the starting
   point.
    
  
The Subtleties of Syntax
   
   Of the many aspects of the Japanese language that make it difficult to
   translate or interpret, syntax poses a particular challenge. Indeed,
   those approaching the language from an English-based perspective may
   be inclined to describe Japanese syntax as backwards.
   
   The most basic sentence order in English proceeds from subject to verb
   to object. In Japanese, the verb comes last, so that the most basic
   sentence order is `[subject]-object-verb' (the subject is often
   omitted). Hence, the sentence, `I sent a memo' becomes in Japanese,
   `[I] memo sent' ([Watashi wa] memo wo okurimashita). The addition of
   adverbial or adjectival phrases further complicates the issue. For  
   example, the English sentence `I went to the office this morning to
   meet a client' becomes, `This morning client meet in order to office
   to went' (Kesa kuraento wo au tame ni jimusho ni ikimashita).   
   
   This syntax, in particular the placement of the verb at the end of the
   sentence, has important cultural implications. Since verb endings
   largely determine the nature of a statement (for example, whether it
   will be positive or negative, a question or a statement of fact, a
   command or a request), the speaker benefits from an ability to subtly
   adjust the meaning of her words as she senses how they are being
   received. The highly nuanced and non-confrontational character of   
   spoken communication in Japan is thus reflected in and encouraged b
   the language itself.

Perfect to the Last Detail
   
  IN JAPAN, EVEN A MINOR FLAW PUTS QUALITY IN QUESTION
   
   Taichi Sakaiya was born in Osaka in 1935. After graduating from Tokyo
   University, he joined the Ministry of International Trade and 
   Industry (MITI) where, among his other duties, he chaired the
   committee in charge of the 1970 Osaka Expo. Since leaving MITI, Mr.
   Sakaiya has become a best-selling author of non-fiction and fiction.  
   The following passage, adapted from his recent book What is Japan?
   Contradictions and Transformations, examines one source of resistance
   to foreign products in Japan. 
   
   When people are constantly working diligently in a resource-poor
   society, much labor is inevitably poured into limited resources and
   scarce land. Under these circumstances, the Japanese naturally
   developed an aesthetic of devoting great labor to details.
   Concentrating hard work on a limited object proved that a worker was
   diligent and even of good character.

   Workers became obsessed with parts that had nothing to do with either
   the function or the appearance of the product. Even today, the finish
   of the inside of a garment or the reverse side of a weld are important
   in the Japanese market. For Japanese, such areas are important
   precisely because one cannot see them.
   
   Many foreign products deficient in details will not sell well in
   Japan. To sell in the Japanese market requires an expert finish down
   to the last detail, even if this comes at greater cost. Packaging and
   wrapping must be excessive to the point of redundancy. Labels and 
   markings must be sharp, correctly positioned, and neatly applied.
   These seemingly wasteful efforts are the bait that catches the
   Japanese consumer.
   
   In Japan, a product that is not perfectly finished reflects poorly on
   the quality of the company's management and employees. All other
   products of that company are then considered likely to have some kind
   of hidden defect. A flawed finish is a red flag that warns Japanese of
   the possibility of those minor breakdowns they most loathe.

   The secret of Japan's modern competitiveness in exporting industrial 
   products lies in these impeccable details. To export successfully to 
   Japan, other countries must become more aware of this peculiarity of  
   the Japanese market.
   
   Sakaiya adds that this feeling about details has deep roots in
   Japanese history. It even affects corporate structure. He points out
   that in Japanese companies the attitudes of those responsible for   
   details are hard to ignore. Departments involved in detail work have 
   great authority, at the expense of overall coordination.
   
   Copyright 1993 by Taichi Sakaiya. Published by Kodansha America, Inc.
   All rights reserved. Translated by Steven Karpa.

"There is No Excuse"
   
  APOLOGY SHOWS WILLINGNESS TO SHARE OTHERS' SUFFERING 

   
   
   An American supplier cannot meet a shipping deadline to an important
   American customer. Most of the delay is due to a natural disaster that
   damaged many area businesses. The supplier made reasonable but not
   extraordinary efforts to overcome the problem. The delay will cause a
   serious problem for the customer. The contract between the two firms
   does not spell out the obligations of each party in such a situation.
   
   The customer must be notified that the deadline cannot be met. Should
   the supplier apologize?
   
   The answer to such a question will likely vary depending on many
   factors. In Japan, however, there is no question as to the correct
   answer: the supplier must apologize.

   The most common Japanese expression of apology is "moushiwake
   arimasen" which literally means "there is no excuse" or "I have no
   excuse." In the situation above, a letter of apology that reads, "We
   regret that due to flooding in our region we will not be able to meet
   the October 6 shipping date" will not suffice. Rather, a person of
   significant authority, perhaps the CEO, must contact the person in
   charge of buying from his company, and say, "The shipment will be   
   late. I am very sorry." No excuses or explanations at this stage. 
   
   It is not uncommon in Japan for business to be conducted without a   
   contract. Even if there is one, it will rarely spell out in detail how
   to deal with various types of non-performance. In Japan much business
   takes place on a basis of trust and mutual moral obligation. This does
   not mean that Japanese do business on some kind of higher moral plane;
   it does mean that failure to deliver on one's promise, or failure to
   make a heroic effort to deliver, will ruin a company's reputation. In
   Japan's tightly knit society, this is as devastating to a firm's
   bottom line as a large damage award is in America.The ability to feel
   a situation from the other's point of view, and the proper expression
   of that empathy, is critical to maintaining good relationships in
   Japan. The apology functions mainly to assuage the feelings of the
   party that is suffering. The apologizer, by virtue of the apology,
   acknowledges that the other party is suffering in some way and makes
   it clear that the apologizer cannot feel good if the other party does
   not feel good.
   
   An apology also suggests one will try to make amends and that great
   effort will be put into preventing another occurrence of such
   problems. It is in the "work out" phase that factors beyond the
   control of the supplier can be introduced and weighed into the
   settlement. After all, the buyer has an obligation to be empathetic to
   the supplier, too, especially in a long standing relationship.
   
   An American supplier might avoid apologizing directly to avoid
   accepting full responsibility in a court of law. In the rare event of
   litigation in Japan, an apology would never be taken as an admission 
   of guilt. Lack of an apology, on the other hand, might cause a judge
   to question the supplier's good faith. The effect would be similar to
   the influence of a defendant's "lack of remorse" on an American
   judge's decision in sentencing. 
   
   In both America and Japan, it is best to prevent problems before they
   occur. However, when difficulties arise with a Japanese company, a  
   proper apology can help smooth the way towards prompt resolution.
   

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