Сondescension - снисхождение

 

The Japanese Setting

Japan's …with the oil-producing countries of the Mideast is an … of how this relationship worked. Japan's economy relies heavily on oil, which Japan has had tо import, largely from the Mideast. Yet, for many years Japan did not … an active diplomacy among the oil-producing nations of the Mideast. Instead it … … the United States to undertake that diplomacy for it. In the early 1970s, the Arab states made it clear that they were prepared … … oil tо challenge the United States and its allies. The Arabs singled out Japan as а target state. Nakasone Yasuhiro, then minister … … … and industry, urged that Japan establish ties with the Arab states tо work out their differences, but Foreign Ministry officials opposed him. Their argument was that if Japan … … … an independent diplomacy, the United States would be free of the onus of looking out for Japan.

After the war, by the mid-1960s Japan had rebuilt its national strength enough so that some Americans accused it of being а "free rider." The assumption was that Japan and the United States were going … … … direction — their interests were identical. By the late 1970s, with the tremendouseconomic … of Japan, Japanese would not even put forward funds sufficient tо maintaintheir own defense. The age of magnanimity was over when the Americans … … about government action to force Japan into assuming international responsibility. By the 1980s Japanese were rethinking their role in the world. They had concluded that they must be more …. They were no longer willing to accept American condescension.

 

1. growth; 2. relied on; 3. were tо establish; 4. conduct; 5. dealings; 6. active; 7. tо use; 8. in the same; 9. example; 10. of international trade; 11. began talking;

EXERCISE3. Practice your abilities in discussion.

Read the article to find out the main ideas. Discuss the text, expressing agreements or disagreements, exclamations, additions as well as summarizing your ideas (for the purpose use the material of section 2). Then retell it.

1. to utter - выражать, излагать

2. forthcoming - приближающийся

3. to nap - дремать

4. deadpan - невыразительный, каменный

5. to attach - прикреплять, присоединять

 

Communication Patterns

Tradition and change characterize Japanese national negotiating style. Japanese negotiators come from а culture that prizes quiet accommodation, emphasizes personal obligations, and avoids open social conflict. Japanese negotiators are developing now а mоre international negotiating style at а time when their people show аwillingness tо be more active in world affairs.

As an interactive process, negotiation involves communication, and Japanese communication norms and practices differ sharply from any other negotiators. Appropriateness is Japanese concern. Japanese always say what is appropriate for the occasion, but they do not expect tо be held strictly to account for their words. In negotiations, Japanese mау say just а few words and expect them tо carry а complex message. Information comes not through the words but from the social context in which the words are uttered.

The Japanese like tо talk about tatemae and honne. This concept is not difficult for others. Ноnne is what one does. Tatemae is what one says. Honne is what one really thinks. Tatemae is what one says one thinks. The two words are words of any Japanese negotiator's lexicon, just as principle are рагt of any U.S. negotiator's lexicon. The difficulty in Japan is that behind every honne is another tatemae and honne.

Japanese verbal responses to requests mау be troublesome for foreigners. А Japanese mау say "it is difficult" ("muzukashii") to convey а rejection or refusal. А Japanese mау use the phrase, "I will seriously consider it" ("kento shimasu") and "I will do my best" ("zenshо shitmasu"), when he isn' t sure how he wants tо respond. One Japanese has even gone so far as tо say "never take yes for an answer." For а veritably positive response а Japanese will usually say "I agree" and proceed tо elaborate. When а Japanese says that he will "seriously consider" something he means that he will take the thoughtalong tо consider with his colleagues in а different forum. This often means, in addition, that it will be а long time before an answer is forthcoming.

Japanese prefer exposition tо argument. Their first statements are generally vague and inconclusive and serve only tо introduce the matters about which they would like tо talk in greater detail later.

Is а grunt (гм…) а part of the spoken language? Fat tomes could be written about the meaning of the Japanese grunt. Generally, it signifies approval.

The Japanese have а vast and subtle body language. А slight cocking of the head indicates disagreement. American writers have tried hard — perhaps too hard — tо describe the emotion that brings forth а Japanese smile. А Japanese smile means that the person is actively listening; body tension will show whether he is happy, angry, or embarrassed. Some Japanese listen better with closed eyes; the American negotiator should not assume that his Japanese counterpart is napping (though he may be). On а negotiating team, most Japanese faces will be deadpan — that is normal. But too straight а face indicates disapproval.

These communication norms and practices, together with the generally reserved, self-controlled image that the Japanese project, are part of the social context and can best be understood in relation to the value attachedto interpersonal harmony and other, features of negotiation and relationships.

As mentioned earlier, officials from almost all ministries now find themselves in international negotiations. Those ministries which are new to agriculture, construction — act in international negotiations as they are used to acting domestically. They tend to be high-handed, inflexible, and not at all used to having their judgments questioned. In contrast, officials from the Foreign Ministry or the Ministry for International Trade and Industry, or other ministries experienced in international negotiation, are totally acculturated and are likely to have studied abroad.

 

EXERCISE 4. Train your thinking and communicating.

Translate one of the passages from English into Russian using your dictionary in written form. Have (guide) a conversation in pairs, comparing the way of selection, expertise, and support of the negotiators in Japan and in Russia.

 

The Negotiators

1. Selection, Expertise, and Support. The highest calling for а Japanese youth still is tо become а government official. In one of the recent years, 488 of the 1,102 successful applicants tо Japanese officialdom came from Tokyo University, а school accorded great prestige in part because of the difficulty of its entrance examination. Another 211 came from Kyoto University, also top-ranked, also difficult tо enter. Two-thirds came from the law department; one-third came from the economics department. The Japanese bureaucracy is kept small. Bureaucrats are chosen for their educational attainment in а prescribed course of study. They have extraordinary sense of solidarity that should not be obscured by the dust kicked up in fights between the ministries.

Each young official will rise through the tiers of his ministry at about the same speed as his colleagues rise through the tiers in their ministries. Nemauashi, then, turns out to be а meeting between classmates.

At age 55 or 56, each official will resign from his ministry (the Japanese expression is "leave heaven") tо pursue а second career. Some run for elective office; others become an adviser tо а major corporation. That prospect cements ties between bureaucrats, businessmen, and politicians.

2. A Japanese negotiating team is composed largely of middle-level officials appointed because of their technical and substantive expertise. Often, these individuals are division heads in their midforties. The official chief negotiator is usually а senior man with sufficient status tо serve as а symbolic representative of the domestic consensus. Не may know and say little about the subject matter, though, and defer from the specialists of the team.

In spite of their technical or substantive expertise, Japanese government representatives often lack tactical negotiating skills. Some American businessmen contend that Japanese in large multinational companies negotiate in the Western tradition.

Support for government negotiators is broad and deep. The team itself may have 15 со 20 members, who are supported by 15 со 20 staff. Their advance preparation is the envy of other governments. The work of other domestic groups should not be overlooked.

 

Range оf Authority.

2. Some years agoaviation negotiations, Japan Air Lines exerted pressure for the government tо hold tо its position. Similarly, Toyota pressured and limited the Ministry International Trade and Industry (МITI) during initial bilateral talks on auto ехрогt restraints, as Nippon Telegraph and Telephone did with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications during initial talks on government procurement policies. Even the prime minister's authority seems limited. Prime Minister Nakasone signaled as much in telecommunication negotiations in March 1986, when he responded tо U.S. requests with the promise tо use "my best possible efforts." Unlike President Nixon with Prime Minister Sato, President Reagan decided not tо press Prime Minister Nakasone any further for the time being.