Testing Your Knowledge About Japan

This quiz is a simple tool to test your knowledge about Japan. The preferred answers are listed after each question. There may be a difference in answers relevant to those born in the United States with those born outside the United States.

This quiz is reprinted with the full permission of Harris International. This quiz will test your intercultural communication skills and is meant for informational purposes only.

This quiz consists of 25 true and false questions.

1. At morning gatherings, every group leader informs his or her group of some recent personal incidents.
   True    False      
2. The main goal of radio calisthenics is to boost worker spirit and morale for the day ahead.
   True    False      
3. The Japanese salaried employees can refuse overtime work easily.
   True    False      
4. The salaried employees tend to emphasize family duties rather than their work.
   True    False      
5. The best strategy to refuse an invitation from a superior to drink alcohol is to inform the superior of a health condition.
   True    False      
6. The objective of new employee education is individualism rather than cooperation.
   True    False      
7. Almost all Japanese companies use the merit system, which is widely practiced in the United States instead of the seniority system.
   True    False      
8. In Japan, as in the United States, top management is the most important segment of management.
   True    False      
9. Business people who refuse to go solo on assignments are literally discarding their hopes for career advance.
   True    False      
10. The objective of temporary transfers is to increase knowledge of diverse management strategies.
    True    False      
11. The Japanese labor law regulates the upper limit of work age, so people over 65 years old cannot work.
    True    False      
12. A home address should be written on a business card.
    True    False      
13. "Bucho" means a department (general) manager.
    True    False      
14. In Japanese "hai" (yes) always means "yes".
    True    False      
15. Because "nemawashi" exists, most conferences and meetings are perfunctory.
    True    False      
16. The "ringi" system is representative of a top-down management system.
    True    False      
17. When salaried employees go on business trips, they are expected to bring their co-workers souvenirs from at least one out of three trips.
    True    False      
18. Seating arrangements for meetings are determined so that "gicho" (high-ranking people) sit closest to the entrance.
    True    False      
19. In most business situations such as contract negotiations, salaried employees usually use "boin" (thumb print).
    True    False      
20. When preparing for business receptions, sales people must first learn the hobbies and tastes of the managers they plan to approach.
    True    False      
21. Even now, the Japanese office ladies' (OLs) main role in the company are serving "ochakumi" (tea) and making copies.
    True    False      
22. Newly hired employees must live in the company dormitory for at least one year.
    True    False      
23. If he or she has a prior personal engagement, a salaried employee can give first priority to that engagement, which means that he or she can avoid going on a company trip.
    True    False      
24. In most cases of sending mid-year and year-end presents, giving cash is the most appropriate gift.
    True    False      
25. Business entertainment does not play a role in the negotiation process.
    True    False