Guide to Doing Sales in Japan

Japan is a serious B2B market for foreign companies, but it is rarely a quick market.

Japanese companies do buy from overseas suppliers. They buy foreign software, machinery, consulting, professional services, marketing tools, HR systems, training, and specialized products. The challenge is that a good product is rarely enough by itself. Buyers need to believe that your company can support them, reduce risk, and help their internal team explain the decision.

This is where many foreign companies misunderstand B2B sales in Japan. They assume the main task is to convince one executive or one enthusiastic contact. In many Japanese companies, the sale has to survive internal discussion, written approval, risk checks, budget timing, and the concerns of people you may never meet.

Japan is still one of the world’s largest business markets. World Bank 2024 data put Japan’s nominal GDP at about US$4.03 trillion. For software and SaaS companies, the opportunity is also growing. Fuji Chimera Research estimated that Japan’s enterprise software market, including SaaS, PaaS, and packaged software, would reach ¥3.6638 trillion in FY2028, up 45.8% from FY2023. Stripe’s guide to B2B SaaS in Japan also points to the growth of SaaS as Japanese companies continue investing in digital transformation.

The market is real. The question is whether your sales process matches how Japanese companies actually buy.

Why B2B sales in Japan feels slower

The most important thing to understand is that B2B buying in Japan is often group-based.

In many Western sales environments, the salesperson tries to identify the economic buyer, impress that person, and push toward a decision. That can happen in Japan, especially in smaller companies and startups, but larger Japanese companies often work differently.

A manager may like your product. A department head may understand the problem. Even a senior executive may agree that your solution makes sense. The decision can still take time because the company needs internal alignment.

That internal alignment may include:

• The department that will use the product
• The department head or bucho (部長)
• Procurement
• Legal
• Accounting
• IT or security
• Operations
• Senior management
• A local partner, distributor, or group company

This does not mean every person has equal power. It means the person you speak to may need to convince several people before the company can move forward.

A useful way to think about your first contact is not only as a buyer. They may also be your internal champion. Your job is to help that person explain your value to people inside the company.

In the Scaling Japan Podcast episode on implementing a B2B strategy with Fuminori Gunji, one practical point is that foreign companies should help their contact prepare internal materials. Your contact does not understand your product as deeply as you do. If you leave them with only a generic deck or English website, they may struggle to explain the value internally.

A better approach is to help them prepare:

• A short Japanese explanation of the problem
• A simple comparison of current process versus proposed process
• A clear list of benefits for each stakeholder
• A risk and support section
• A proposed next step
• A short internal slide or one-page summary they can circulate

This makes your contact’s job easier. It also reduces the chance that your proposal dies inside the company before you understand why.

Why nemawashi and ringisho matter

Two words help explain why Japanese B2B sales can feel slow: nemawashi and ringisho.

Nemawashi (根回し) means preparing the ground before a formal decision. In a sales context, this often means that important conversations happen before the official meeting or approval. People discuss concerns, gather opinions, and check whether the idea will create problems.

For foreign companies, this can be confusing because the meeting may feel polite and positive. The real issue is what happens after the meeting. If your internal champion cannot build support quietly inside the company, the deal may stop without a clear rejection.

Ringisho (稟議書) is the internal approval document or approval process used in many Japanese organizations. A proposal may need to be written, circulated, commented on, revised, and approved by multiple people before purchase. This is especially common in larger companies, regulated industries, and enterprise software deals.

If you are selling to Japanese companies, you should assume your materials may be read by people who never joined your sales call. That is why your written explanation matters so much.

For more detail, read our guide to the ringisho approval process and our practical guide to Japanese corporate culture.

Japanese sales materials: why English materials are usually not enough

Even if your main contact speaks English, your sales materials should usually be in Japanese.

This is not about whether your contact personally understands you. The problem is that the next people in the approval process may not be comfortable reviewing English sales materials. Your contact's boss, procurement team, legal team, IT department, and other internal stakeholders may need a Japanese explanation before they can evaluate the proposal.

English proficiency is still a practical issue in Japan. In the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, Japan ranked 96th out of 123 countries and regions, 18th out of 25 in Asia, and was placed in the very low proficiency band.

That does not mean Japanese businesspeople cannot work internationally. It means foreign companies should not make English materials the default for a Japanese approval process.

If your champion receives only English materials, they may need to translate or summarize everything themselves. That adds work, creates risk, and gives them another reason to delay the proposal. If they are already busy, the deal may go quiet even if they liked your product.

For most B2B sales in Japan, prepare at least:

• A Japanese company overview
• A Japanese product or service one-pager
• A Japanese sales pamphlet or deck
• A Japanese case study if possible
• A security and compliance explanation if you sell software
• A pricing and implementation summary
• A support and customer success explanation

Machine translation can help, but it should not be the final version for important B2B sales materials.

DeepL, ChatGPT, and other AI tools are useful for drafting, checking rough meaning, and speeding up internal work. They are risky as the final layer for external sales copy. Japanese B2B materials need the right tone, structure, wording, and level of detail. A direct translation may sound technically correct and still fail to persuade.

A good Japanese sales pamphlet should do more than translate your English deck. It should answer the questions Japanese stakeholders need to resolve internally:

• What problem does this solve?
• Why is this company reliable?
• Who has used this before?
• What proof exists?
• What happens after purchase?
• What support is available in Japan?
• What are the risks and how are they managed?
• What does implementation look like?
• What decision is being requested now?

Scaling Your Company runs a Japan Sales Pamphlet course for companies that need to create sales materials in the style Japanese corporations expect. This is especially useful if your first meeting goes well, but your second meeting rate is weak.

Potential deal breakers that a foreigner might not be aware of

In Japan, it is quite challenging to introduce a product that has been made overseas. Therefore, achieving “market success” in their home country should be taken into consideration to successfully do sales in Japan. This is due to several factors that may delay the introduction of a foreign product, such as limited resources caused by ongoing projects or higher priorities at home that prevent you from focusing on Japanese customers. 

Additionally, the following are other deal breakers for foreign businesses wanting to do sales in Japan

• Competition from a group company or affiliate offering a similar product or service,
• Depending on the product or service, Japanese customers may demand 24/7 service for things like healthcare, mobility, and other services. An inability to provide localized customer service is a deal breaker  as they need a quick response and don't want to d deal with someone overseas or foreign time zones
• Choosing sales partners with capabilities limited to a specific market segment that may not align with the target market for the product.
• Not having a team or resources who can make changes to products or services in accordance with local demands -  for example there are some products where the features that foreign companies like may not actually be the features that are most wanted here.  but to be honest the more common issue is not having software that is not localized into Japanese
•  occasionally we will have companies reach out to us to my other company Smart Start Japan which provides Japan incorporation services and the reason they reached out to us is they closed the major deal with the large Japanese company but they are forcing the supplier to set up an incorporation in Japan so they can pay their Japan entity -  there are also probably legal reasons in that if you have a Japan entity they can sue your Japan entity rather than having to deal with the foreign entity and also you can get a Japanese corporate bank account it makes it easier for them to make payments and control payments as well -  make sure to link to my company Smart Start Japan

To overcome these deal breakers, a foreign business must develop a comprehensive methodology that takes into account the potential pitfalls and adapts to the unique business landscape in Japan. This may involve partnering with local companies, conducting market research, and leveraging existing relationships to gain traction in the market.

What Japanese buyers need to trust a foreign solution

Japanese companies can be open to foreign solutions, especially when the product solves a real problem. The risk is that foreign suppliers can feel harder to evaluate.

A Japanese buyer may wonder:

• Will this company stay committed to Japan?
• Can they support us in Japanese?
• Can they respond during Japanese business hours?
• Will the product fit local workflows?
• Will our team understand how to use it?
• Can procurement and legal approve the contract?
• Is there a Japanese client we can reference?
• What happens if something goes wrong?

You need to answer these questions before the buyer has to ask.

Show proof of reliability

For many Japanese buyers, words like reliable, secure, proven, and supported can matter more than words like innovative or disruptive.

Innovation can help, but it needs to be connected to business stability. If your product sounds new but risky, the buyer may hesitate. If your product sounds useful and safe to introduce internally, the buyer has a stronger reason to continue.

Useful proof includes:

• Japanese client logos or case studies
• Global enterprise clients
• Proof of concept results
• Security certifications
• Industry certifications
• Awards
• Media coverage
• Academic or expert validation
• Partner endorsements
• Clear customer support structure
• Implementation timelines

Certifications should be relevant to your category. PCI-DSS may matter for payment products. PSE may matter for certain electrical products. ISO 27001 may matter for information security. Other industries will have different requirements. Do not list certifications for decoration. Use them to reduce a specific buyer concern.

Explain local support clearly

One common deal breaker is weak local support.

If you are selling a mission-critical product, a Japanese buyer may worry about time zones, language, emergency response, and who takes responsibility after implementation. This is especially true in healthcare, mobility, finance, infrastructure, manufacturing, and enterprise software.

Your sales materials should explain:

• Support language
• Support hours
• Response time
• Escalation process
• Training process
• Customer success structure
• Documentation availability
• Whether support is local, regional, or overseas

Even if you do not have a full Japan office yet, explain the support path clearly. Silence creates risk. A clear support plan gives your champion something to show internally.

Localize the product or service where it matters

Product localization is not only translation.

For software, localization may include Japanese UI, Japanese help pages, Japanese invoices, Japanese date formats, Japanese workflows, security documentation, and compatibility with local systems.

For consulting or services, localization may mean Japanese reporting format, different meeting rhythm, more detailed documentation, or a clearer handover process.

For physical products, localization may involve certifications, manuals, labeling, warranty structure, packaging, repair, or distributor support.

Foreign companies often assume the features that sold well overseas will be the same features Japanese customers care about. That is not always true. In some markets, Japanese buyers may care more about ease of onboarding, reliability, support, and internal approval than the advanced feature set.

If you are unsure what matters most, start with market research in Japan before building a full sales plan.

When a Japanese company asks you to set up a local entity

Sometimes the sales process creates a company setup issue.

A foreign company may close a major deal with a Japanese enterprise, then hear that the buyer wants to contract with or pay a Japanese entity. This can happen for procurement, tax, payment, legal, vendor registration, or risk management reasons. A Japanese corporate bank account can also make payment and administration easier for the buyer.

This does not mean every foreign company needs to incorporate before selling in Japan. Many companies test the market first. However, if enterprise buyers make a Japan entity a procurement condition, you need to understand the setup timeline before it delays the deal.

SmartStart Japan helps foreign founders and overseas companies with setting up a business in Japan, incorporation services, corporate bank account setup, and post-incorporation requirements. If a local entity becomes necessary for a sales deal, it is better to plan early than to solve it after procurement is already waiting.

How to approach Japanese companies

The best approach depends on your deal size, product type, industry, and existing network. For most B2B companies, warm introductions work better than generic cold emails.

Good entry paths include:

• Existing customers with Japan connections
• Investors
• Advisors
• Chamber of commerce networks
• Industry associations
• Trade shows
• Referral partners
• Consultants with buyer relationships
• Senior executive introductions
• Former colleagues or university networks

A warm introduction does not close the deal for you. It helps you avoid being treated as a random vendor.

If you use cold outreach, make it specific. Research the company, department, and person. Calling a general department rarely works well. Calling and asking for a named person has a better chance because the receptionist or gatekeeper has something specific to act on.

For larger companies, a department head or bucho can be a better target than the CEO. If you go directly to the CEO, they may simply send you back to the relevant department. A department leader who owns the problem can become a stronger internal champion because they understand the operational pain and can influence the next steps.

Use timing to your advantage

Budget timing matters.

Many Japanese companies use a March fiscal year-end, while many foreign-affiliated companies use December. If your product is useful but not urgent, year-end budget timing can sometimes help. Departments may have a remaining budget they need to use, or they may be planning next year's budget.

Do not assume every company follows the same cycle. Ask early:

• When do you plan next year's budget?
• Is this already budgeted?
• Which department owns the budget?
• Is this a current-year purchase or next-year proposal?
• What approval steps are required before purchase?

These questions are practical, not pushy. They help you avoid spending months on a deal that has no budget path.

Use small executive events when you need access

For higher-value B2B products, small private events can work better than a large pitch event.

One practical approach is an executive lunch or small roundtable. Invite a credible speaker or industry expert, bring together a selected group of target buyers, and structure the event around learning and discussion. A simple format might be:

• 30 minutes of networking
• 60 to 75 minutes of lunch and discussion
• Short company introductions or case examples
• Follow-up meetings with interested participants

This works because the setting feels less aggressive than a sales pitch. The participants can meet peers, relax, and discuss industry issues. Your company gets access to a more senior group without relying only on cold outreach.

For more relationship-building ideas, read our guide to business networking in Japan.

How to use trade shows for B2B sales in Japan

Trade shows are still useful in Japan because they create face-to-face contact.

This matters for foreign companies. A website, cold email, or LinkedIn message can be easy to ignore. A trade show gives you a reason to meet, exchange cards, ask questions, and start a practical conversation.

Trade shows can help with three goals:

• Finding potential customers
• Finding distributors or resellers
• Understanding how your category is positioned in Japan

Before attending or exhibiting, choose the event carefully. The biggest event is not always the best event. You want the event where your target buyers, partners, and competitors are actually present.

Before the show, prepare:

• Japanese business cards
• A Japanese one-pager or pamphlet
• A short Japanese explanation of your offer
• A list of target companies and booths
• A follow-up email template in Japanese
• A simple lead qualification sheet
• A clear next-step offer, such as a meeting or demo

If you attend as a visitor, do not only speak to the youngest staff member at a booth. Younger staff may be helpful, but they may not know the decision process. If you can politely identify a more senior person, you may learn much more about how the company buys, partners, or evaluates suppliers.

If you exhibit, the booth is only the beginning. Many companies collect cards and then follow up too slowly. Follow-up should happen quickly, in Japanese, and with a clear reason to continue.

A good follow-up email should include:

• Where you met
• The problem you discussed
• A short summary of your solution
• One useful attachment or link
• A proposed next step
• Two or three possible meeting times

Scaling Your Company has a Japan Trade Show course focused on improving leads and sales from Japanese trade shows. You can also review our guide to the top trade shows in Japan if you are still deciding where to start.

Should you sell directly or use a distributor in Japan?

Many foreign companies want a Japanese distributor to solve sales for them.

This can work, but usually not from day one.

A distributor, reseller, or channel partner will ask a simple question: can this product already sell in Japan? If the answer is unclear, they may not want to carry the full burden of market creation.

From the distributor's point of view, an unknown foreign company with no Japanese clients, no Japanese materials, no localized product, and no proven demand creates a lot of work. The distributor has to educate the market, translate the offer, build trust, handle objections, and possibly train their own sales team. If the margins are not strong or the sales cycle is long, the opportunity may not be attractive.

A better approach is often to land and expand.

First, try to close early deals directly, with light local support if needed. Use those first customers, proof-of-concept results, or pilot projects to show that Japan demand exists. Then approach distributors with evidence.

You become more attractive to a distributor when you have:

• A clear target customer
• Japanese sales materials
• A Japanese landing page or product page
• At least one Japan case study or pilot
• A clear pricing and margin structure
• Product training materials
• Fast support from headquarters
• A lead-sharing plan
• A realistic view of the sales cycle
• A clear agreement on territory, targets, and responsibilities

John Kirch's Scaling Japan episode on using channel partners in Japan covers practical issues like the difference between resellers and distributors, how to find channel partners, how to evaluate them, how to onboard them, and how to manage the relationship.

The basic point is simple. A partner can help you scale, but they are usually better at expanding demand than proving demand from zero.

For a deeper guide, read our article on choosing a distribution partner in Japan.

Sales frameworks that work in Japan

A sales framework helps your team understand where a deal is, what is missing, and what needs to happen next.

This matters in Japan because the process can involve several people and many hidden steps. Without a framework, your team may mistake a friendly meeting for real progress.

Route sales

Route sales works best when the product is standardized and easy to understand.

The salesperson's job is to find the right customer, explain the offer clearly, and repeat the process with many similar prospects. This fits products or services where the buyer does not need a custom solution.

The key is a simple pitch, clear proof, and a smooth follow-up process.

Account sales

Account sales works better for customized or higher-value deals.

Here, the salesperson needs to understand the customer's situation, map the stakeholders, identify the internal decision process, and shape the proposal around the customer's needs. The sales cycle is longer, but the deal size may justify the extra work.

Enterprise software, consulting, manufacturing solutions, and complex B2B services often need an account sales approach.

BANT

BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline.

It is a useful starting point because it forces the salesperson to ask whether the prospect has money, decision power, a real problem, and a purchase window.

The limitation is that authority in Japan can be more complicated than one person. The person with formal authority may rely on many people before approving the decision.

MEDDIC and MEDPICC

MEDDIC and MEDPICC are more detailed frameworks for complex deals.

They help the sales team map metrics, decision criteria, decision process, pain, champion, competition, and paper process. This is useful in Japan because stakeholder alignment and internal approval are often where deals slow down.

Evan Burkosky's episode on sales frameworks in Japan discusses why more detailed frameworks can be helpful when a deal involves many stakeholders and a long approval path.

If your annual contract value is small, a heavy enterprise framework may be too much. If your deal is worth tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars, the structure can help you avoid wasting time.

Challenger Sale

The Challenger Sale approach can work when you are selling a new category, new technology, or strategic change.

Japanese companies often rely on vendors to explain new market trends, risks, and tools. If you can teach the buyer something useful, you can become more than a vendor. You become a source of insight.

The risk is tone. Challenging a buyer does not mean being aggressive. In Japan, it usually works better to show the market shift, explain the risk calmly, and help the buyer build an internal case.

For more on demand creation before sales conversations, read our guide to B2B marketing in Japan.

Building relationships without losing sales discipline

Relationships matter in Japan, but relationship-building should still support the sales process.

First meetings may include more small talk than foreign companies expect. People may ask where you are from, how long you have been in Japan, what you like about Japan, or how you know a mutual contact. This is not wasted time. It helps the buyer understand who they are dealing with.

At the same time, friendly conversation is not a substitute for sales progress. After rapport-building, you still need to understand the problem, budget, decision process, timeline, and next step.

A simple meeting structure can work well:

• First 10 to 15 minutes: rapport and context
• Next 15 to 20 minutes: understand the company, problem, and current process
• Next 15 to 20 minutes: explain your solution in relation to their situation
• Final 5 to 10 minutes: confirm next steps, stakeholders, and timing

Appearance and preparedness also matter. A clean business card holder, neat documents, punctuality, and a polished follow-up email all send a signal. These details may feel small, but they show that you respect the buyer and the meeting.

Politeness matters too. Bowing, greeting properly, walking a guest to the elevator, and sending a thoughtful follow-up email are normal parts of professional behavior. For more basics, read our guide to Japanese business etiquette.

There is also a balance. If your Japanese is too stiff or overly formal, it can create distance. If you are too casual too early, it can feel careless. The safest approach is to start polite, read the room, and adjust gradually.

Selling to the Japanese government

Government sales in Japan can be valuable, but the process is strict and slow.

Foreign companies often underestimate how much credibility, documentation, and relationship-building are needed. A good idea is not enough. The proposal needs to fit the government objective, budget structure, timeline, and reporting requirements.

Ruth Jarman's Scaling Japan episodes on selling to the Japanese government are useful because they explain how much preparation and trust-building can be required before a government project becomes realistic.

A strong proposal should usually include:

• Goal: What measurable result will the project achieve?
• Objective: Why does this goal matter?
• Current situation: What is happening now?
• Problem: What issue is caused by the current situation?
• Solution: What will be done?
• Collaboration plan: Who will do what?
• Delivery plan: How will the project be executed?
• Reporting plan: How will success be shown?

For smaller foreign companies, directly winning a large government contract is often unrealistic. A more practical route is to become a subcontractor or sub-subcontractor.

In this setup, the main company wins the government work and you execute a specific part of the project. For example, a larger Japanese company may own the government relationship, while your company provides specialized software, training, research, tourism support, consulting, or implementation.

This route can be more realistic because you are not asking the government to take a direct risk on an unknown foreign supplier. You are supporting a company that already has the relationship, contract, and administrative structure.

Timelines vary by agency, municipality, and project, but government work often follows Japan's fiscal year rhythm. Many projects are planned before the fiscal year begins in April, executed during the year, and reported before the next cycle. If you want to sell into government projects, start building relationships before the request for proposal appears.

Hiring a sales rep in Japan

Hiring a sales rep in Japan can help, but it will not fix unclear positioning.

Many foreign companies hire too early. They find a bilingual salesperson and expect that person to create the market, localize the message, find the right buyers, build materials, explain the product, close deals, manage headquarters, and sometimes handle customer success.

That is too much for one hire unless the person is really a business developer or country manager.

Before hiring your first sales rep in Japan, clarify:

• Who your ideal customer is
• Which industry or segment you are targeting first
• What pain point you solve
• What proof you have
• Whether your materials are ready in Japanese
• What price range you expect
• Whether the product is localized enough
• What support headquarters can provide
• Whether you want direct sales, channel sales, or both

Takashi Nishida's episode on hiring a Japanese business developer highlights the importance of market assessment, target-buyer connections, and understanding Japanese business dynamics. That is the right lens for a first Japan hire.

A strong early hire may need to do more than sell. They may need to test the market, gather buyer feedback, identify the right segment, explain objections to headquarters, and help shape the offer for Japan.

Good signs in a first sales or business development hire include:

• Experience selling to your target industry
• Ability to reach department heads or decision influencers
• Comfort with both Japanese and international teams
• Understanding of long sales cycles
• Discipline with follow-up and CRM
• Ability to create or improve Japanese sales materials

If you have no Japan traction yet, consider founder-led sales, a fractional business development advisor, a local market entry consultant, or a short validation project before hiring a full-time salesperson.

FAQ

Is B2B sales in Japan slower than in Western markets?

Often, yes. Larger Japanese companies may need consensus, internal discussion, security checks, procurement review, and written approval before purchase. The sales process can feel slower because the decision is usually not made by one person in one meeting.

Do Japanese companies buy from foreign companies?

Yes. Japanese companies buy foreign software, products, services, consulting, and technology when the value is clear and the supplier feels reliable. The main challenge is reducing risk for the buyer and helping your internal champion explain the decision.

Do I need Japanese-language sales materials?

Usually, yes. Even if your contact speaks English, other stakeholders may not be comfortable reviewing English materials. Japanese materials make it easier for your champion to circulate the proposal internally.

Can I use ChatGPT or DeepL to translate my sales materials?

You can use AI tools for drafts, internal review, and rough translation. For external B2B sales materials, you should still use human review from someone who understands Japanese business writing, sales copy, and your industry.

Should I hire a Japanese sales rep first?

Usually not as the first move. Before hiring, you should clarify your target customer, positioning, pricing, materials, support structure, and sales process. If those are unclear, even a good salesperson may struggle.

Should I use a distributor in Japan?

A distributor can help, but it is easier to attract a good distributor after you have some proof of Japan demand. Early direct sales, pilot projects, Japanese case studies, and clear materials make you more attractive to potential partners.

Are trade shows useful for B2B sales in Japan?

Yes, especially when used strategically. Trade shows can help you meet buyers, understand competitors, test messaging, and find distributors. The value comes from preparation and follow-up, not only from attending.

Do I need a Japanese company to sell to Japanese clients?

Not always. Some foreign companies sell into Japan from overseas. However, certain enterprise buyers may prefer or require a Japan entity for procurement, payment, tax, vendor registration, or legal reasons. If that comes up during a deal, plan early.

What is nemawashi in Japanese sales?

Nemawashi is the process of building support before a formal decision. In B2B sales, it means your proposal may need informal internal alignment before it reaches formal approval.

What sales framework works best in Japan?

There is no single best framework. BANT can help with basic qualifications. MEDDIC or MEDPICC can help with complex enterprise deals. Route sales can work for standardized products, while account sales works better for customized or strategic deals.

Can small foreign companies sell to the Japanese government?

Yes, but direct government contracts can be difficult. A more realistic route is often to work as a subcontractor or sub-subcontractor under a company that already has the government relationship.

Useful next reads

• Japanese corporate culture
• Ringisho approval process
• Business networking in Japan
• Top trade shows in Japan
• Choosing a distribution partner in Japan
• B2B marketing in Japan
• Japan Sales Pamphlet course

If you are entering Japan and need help turning early conversations into a practical sales process, Scaling Your Company can help with Japan market entry, localization, B2B marketing, sales materials, and growth strategy.