Japanese business terms

official currency of Japan

is a Japanese concept in business studies which asserts that significant positive results may be achieved due to the cumulative effect of many, often small (and even trivial) improvements to all aspects of a company's operations. Kaizen is put into action by continuously improving every facet of a company's production and requires the participation of all employees from the CEO to assembly line workers. Kaizen also applies to processes, such as purchasing and logistics, that cross organizational boundaries into the supply chain. Kaizen aims to eliminate waste and redundancies. Kaizen may also

thumb|upright=1.34|A "No More Karoshi" protest in Tokyo, 2018 thumb|500px|Deaths due to long working hours per 100,000 people in 2016 (15+) thumb|right|500px|Average annual hours actually worked per worker in OECD countries from 1970 to 2020 , which can be translated into 'overwork death', is a Japanese term relating to occupation-related sudden death.

workplace organisation method

thumb|right|250px| Speaker at a PechaKucha Night event in Cluj-Napoca, [[Romania]] PechaKucha (Japanese: ぺちゃくちゃ, IPA: [petɕa kɯ̥tɕa], chit-chat) is a storytelling format in which a presenter shows 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide. At a PechaKucha Night, individuals gather at a venue to share personal presentations about their work. The PechaKucha format can be used, for example, in business presentations to clients or staff, as well as in education settings.

company incorporated with limited liability under Japanese law

Kanban ( meaning signboard) is a scheduling system for lean manufacturing (also called just-in-time manufacturing, abbreviated JIT). Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer at Toyota, developed kanban to improve manufacturing efficiency. The system takes its name from the cards that track production within a factory. Kanban is also known as the Toyota nameplate system in the automotive industry.

is any mechanism in a process that helps an equipment operator avoid mistakes and defects by preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to human errors as they occur. It is a Japanese term that means "mistake-proofing" or "error prevention", and is also sometimes referred to as a forcing function or a behavior-shaping constraint.

A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings that dominated the Japanese economy in the second half of the 20th century. In the legal sense, it is a type of business group that is in a loosely organized alliance within Japan's business community. It rose up to replace the zaibatsu system that was dissolved in the occupation of Japan following the Second World War. Though their influence has shrunk since the late 20th century, they continue to be important forces in Japan's economy in the early 21st century.

thumb|300px|Salarymen take their train daily to work in the Greater Tokyo Area|Tokyo metropolitan area ([[Tokyo Station, 2005)]] The term is a Japanese word for salaried workers. In Japanese popular culture, it is portrayed as a white-collar worker who shows unwavering loyalty and commitment to his employer, prioritizing work over anything else, including family. "Salarymen" are expected to work long hours, whether overtime is paid or not. They socialize with colleagues and bosses, including singing karaoke, drinking, and visiting hostess bars.

systematic technique for identification of potential failure modes in a system and their causes and effects

profession

software development methodology

female pink-collar employee

problem alert system in manufacturing

type of waste (of time or resources) in lean manufacturing caused by work that does not create value from the customer's point of view

is a Japanese term used in business for the location where value is created, such as a factory floor, construction site, or sales floor.

thumb| written on a truck, followed by the sentence "I strive towards zero emission"

ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes, by constantly evaluating and improving in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility

Japanese term for a business that exploits its employees

Japanese 7-step process used in strategic planning in which strategic goals are communicated throughout the company and then put into action

type of business entity

Nemawashi () is an informal Japanese business process of laying the foundation for some proposed change or project by talking to the people concerned and gathering support and feedback before a formal announcement. It is considered an important element in any major change in the Japanese business environment before any formal steps are taken. Successful nemawashi enables changes to be carried out with the consent of all sides, avoiding embarrassment.

A is a Japanese term for a career woman. The term refers to the type of Japanese woman, married or not, that pursues a career to make a living and for personal advancement rather than being a housewife without occupation outside the home. The term came into use when women were expected to marry and become housewives after a short period working as an "office lady".

set of managerial and production principles

thumb|250px|right|Endoji Hommachi in Nagoya

board divided into steps in a process, used for coordinating work using the kanban project management methodology

Japanese promotion system

thumb|240px|right|Sarakin office building in Hokkaido is a Japanese term for a legal moneylender who makes unsecured loans at high interest. It is a contraction of the Japanese words for and . An illegal loan shark who goes above legally permitted maximum interest rates is called yamikin, short for , and many of them lend at 10% for 10 days.

type of waste (of time or resources) where unreasonable expectations or overburdening of a system results in substandard work; avoidable by standardizing work

Monozukuri (alternatively spelled monodzukuri, and literally meaning "production" or "making of things") is the Japanese term for manufacturing. The broader meaning encompasses a synthesis of technological prowess, know-how, and spirit of Japan's manufacturing practices. The spirit includes a sincere attitude towards production with pride, skill, and dedication and the pursuit of innovation and perfection. It is currently a buzzword in Japan and many Japanese people believe that monozukuri has led Japan to a dominant position in the world market.

Kaikaku (改革), is the Japanese term for "radical change". In business, kaikaku is concerned with making fundamental and radical changes to a production system, unlike kaizen which is focused on incremental changes.

business management / quality assurance strategy

type of business organization in Japan

type of waste (of time or resources) in lean manufacturing caused by unevenness or irregularities affecting manufacturing efficiency

prerequisite to allow 'flow' in the factory

former type of business entity in Japan

Obeya (from Japanese Ōbeya 大部屋 "large room") is a team spirit improvement tool at an administrative level, originating from a long history of learning & improving. It is considered a component of lean manufacturing. Obeya objectives are rapid decision-making, reduction in rework and reconsiderations, and reduction in unnecessary discussions. The Obeya Association enumerates 11 Obeya Principles that define Obeya and guide its improvement.