Why Japan’s Cellphones Haven’t Gone Global

[Rahul++]

Phone developed there are simple yet powerful, they don't dedicate their time on it's looks, they prefer to keep it as simple as possible but just change the internal infrastructure to make it powerful...

 

[nucleuskore]

I think there is a language barrier. Extra investment to program for English and other languages?
As for outsiders, the new Nissan chief was not accepted so easily, by his subordinates and even the press. Japan is very much what things in India used to be like, the guy on the top should be an old, experienced, grey haired guy, and everyone under him should make namaskara for him every day. Questioning is not encouraged. There were times that private business discussions between Japanese and American company delegations would run into trouble because of the age gap and the tendency of the Japanese to look at their counterparts as young and inexperienced. With the opening up of the Indian economy and the arrival of young entrepreneurs all that has changed. Even if you see the banking sector, if I am not mistaken, the first bank I started seeing young managers is ICICI. This trend seems to have caught on in all sectors, age is no more a bar to occupying a post.

 

[Amien]

The Japs just don't know how to take a business globally. For eg: the Nissan success story was only made possible by an outsider. i.e. they had to hire Carlos Ghosn to turn the company around. None of the jap bosses knew how to do it.

IMO, it's a cultural thing. They expect that only the top guy can turn things around as only he is in a position to make radical changes. They don't quite question the directions of their immediate superiors w.r.t. company policy and work in a very hierarchial manner.
They are highly risk averse w.r.t. global opportunities and I think that stems from their culture of working in a closed but known hierarchy.

+1
Conformity is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and all individuality is seen as selfishness.