Public Relations: Comment - Foreign companies must earn trust to be invited to the 'club'

When I first arrived in Japan some 25 years ago, a senior Japanese gentleman took me aside and told me that if I wanted to live in Japan as a foreigner I should always remember that in Japan foreigners will always be "allowed to attend the meetings but will never be allowed to be a member of the club". Twenty-five years have passed since that date and Japan has become a significantly more open and global marketplace. But I believe those words still have fundamental importance in communications strategy for any global company operating here. Although a company may have been in Japan for decades and be making a significant contribution to the lives of consumers, employment and the economy, it is still regarded as a visitor to the meeting. It has to make a greater effort than local players to both monitor the changing perceptions of the 'club' and to communicate effectively with the members.