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Insights

What we learn in mandates, written down.

For German headquarters with a unit in Japan, and for Japanese companies in Europe.

Article · AHK Japan Member Newsletter · October 2026

It's not the culture.

The strategy is good. Why does implementation in Japan fail? Markus Schädlich on the set-up between headquarters and Japan unit, and why "culture" is usually the wrong explanation.

Workshop room set up for a leadership session
Tool · 20 questions · 10 minutes

Japan Business Self-Check

Twenty questions on the set-up between headquarters and Japan unit. You get your result at once, and a checklist as PDF.

Live in EN · DE · JA
White paper · ca. 20 pages

Between Headquarters and Japan

Seven tensions that cost European companies performance in Japan, and what it takes to resolve them. Twenty years of our work, free to download for our 20th year.

Free download
LinkedIn · weekly

Question of the week

One question from the self-check every week, with what we see in practice.

Background

Twenty years across borders

From one factory in Japan in 2006 to the implementation partner between Japan and Europe.