We often receive messages like this from tech developers outside Japan:

“We are developing a new generation of headsets that could interest Company G (a Japanese company, global leader in the field). It has a consumer application, but not only that; another part of the application is for the treatment of degenerative brain diseases!

They may be interested in filing patents. Laboratory studies can be conducted in Japan. Regarding one of my technology transfers following a patent application in 1990, I know that Japan was very reliable, with genuinely receptive and seriously committed people.

Now that there’s an opportunity for one of our projects to approach Company G, as we could do with other US and European audio-tech leaders, we working on an innovative headset that stands out in the market, and it would be a shame to develop it commercially anywhere other than Japan.”

What Matters More

While there is a lot of excitement and goodwill in these messages, here is the first thing overseas tech developers need to understand:

In this highly technologically developed country, people and corporations use advanced technology every single day. Despite what many doomsday sayers may have you believe, innovation exists and as a result, Japanese companies tend to be far more pragmatic than impressed.

For most Japanese corporations, what matters much more than “how innovative the product is” are things like:

• Strategic fit
• Risk containment
• Long-term relationship logic
• Proof of market traction (not lab success)

Again, this is because Japan has many world-class engineers and innovation alone doesn’t create commitment.

The Questions You Need To Answer

Before you approach any Japanese corporation, you need to be able to answer these questions (and expect a long list of others to come later):

• Why this fits Company G’s current strategy?
• Which division would own it?
• What internal problem it solves?
• Why Sony should take the risk now rather than wait?

To have any convincing power, the answers must be framed entirely from the Japanese company’s perspective. If you are trying to tell them that “Yes, this is good for you because it is good for us”, your idea will be labeled “interesting” and go nowhere.

From the developer’s perspective, Japan feels like the natural home. It has deep engineering capability, respect for patents, openness to lab work, and a long-term mindset. While all of that is true, it is still insufficient.

What’s missing is a grounded understanding of how a company like Company G would actually absorb this idea internally. Would it be owned by a consumer electronics division or a healthcare-adjacent unit? Would the medical application raise regulatory and reputational risks that no division wants to carry? Who inside the organization would be expected to sponsor it and what personal and group risk would that create for them if it fails?

Solving the Puzzle

This is where local consulting becomes critical. Rather than “sell” the technology, the local consultant helps translate it into Japanese corporate logic. A local advisor helps identify internal ownership, anticipate resistance before it surfaces, and reshape the proposal so it aligns with how Japanese companies manage uncertainty, accountability, and long decision cycles.

If your Japan approach stalls, it’s often because one or more of these were left unanswered:

• No clearly identified internal owner or sponsoring division
• Technical success is emphasized over market validation
• Risk is described in general terms, not from the Japanese manager’s personal accountability perspective
• The timing made sense for the developer — but not for the company’s current priorities
• Interest signals were misread as momentum rather than polite evaluation

If you’re a tech founder, researcher, or IP holder thinking about Japan, don’t start with how impressive your technology is. Start with how a Japanese company would own it, defend it, and explain it internally.