Work is setting up a BCP site in Kobe to continue with operations while Tokyo is under rolling power-cuts. Nanako, Joe and I will go to Kobe on a bullet train on Monday and link up with some other people from the office and their families.
It will be good to be back doing some semblance of normal tasks, but I'm not excited about taking my wife and baby on what amounts to a business trip. However others with families are coming so I hope the partners and children can settle somewhat.
An observation I'm sure is being made all over the world now - in Japanese business and political culture it is not polite to give direct answers or statements. It works in business because your counterparty is playing the same game and understands what you are committing too (normally later there is an email exchanged to make sure both sides understand the commitments made), and it does avoid conflict.
However that breaks down when the counterparty needs hard information immediately to make a decision. The authorities are still cloaking statements with "I think", "I'm told", "possibility of", "a good chance that" and hence people have made the decision to leave. "I'm told there is little risk of radiation reaching Tokyo" doesn't cut it I'm afraid.
The Japanese are fond of disparaging Americans for being too forthright in their opinions and statements, yet what they wouldn't give for someone in authority to explicitly state what is happening, what the plan is, what the risks are and what other options are available.
No comments:
Post a Comment