ABSTRACT
Most Japanese business people share the value of silence as eloquence. Silence is golden. The pheasant that keeps its mouth shut is least likely to get shot; silence seldom harms. Within business organizations members try to avoid being labeled talkative, as a chatterbox easily invites aversion. At times, talkative individuals may be welcome, but pressures are such that even these people tend to become reticent to avoid having, or facing the possibility of having, conflicts of opinions or confrontations with other individuals. The group's orderly discussion, often initiated by leading members, takes precedence over individuals freewheeling voices. Ritual interchanges such as Kon-nichiwa and Odaijini are fairly common. The fundamental Japanese approach to contracts is to emphasize the relationship being created, instead of the document being drawn up. The consensus has been evolving for quite some time that more positive steps should be taken to cultivate skilled foreign language speakers or communicators.
