This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lauren Rose Kocher, 39, an American entrepreneur and CEO of Vegas PR Group in Tokyo. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.
I grew up in a small town in Indiana, but my interest in Japan started early. I still remember watching a “Sesame Street” episode where Big Bird visits Japan. That image stuck with me.
In college, that curiosity took shape: I studied Japanese at the University of Chicago and spent a summer in Hokkaido. After graduating, I moved to Japan in 2008 to teach English, though a career in teaching was never my goal.
I wanted to work for a Japanese company and use the language skills I’d built in school. I’d never worked full-time in the US, so my understanding of corporate culture has been formed almost entirely in Japan.
Building a career inside corporate Japan
After teaching, I transitioned into corporate roles in Japanese companies. I spent three years as an assistant and international concert promoter before joining Sony Music’s business development division for four years. I later became the cofounder and COO of a VC-funded ticketing platform.
After nearly a decade inside corporate Japan, I stepped into senior leadership.
Now, I’m the CEO and sole founder of Vegas PR Group, a Tokyo-based marketing agency focused on culture, the arts, music, and fashion. Our bilingual team of nine works across Japanese and international clients.
Since 2024, I’ve also overseen two businesses founded by my late husband, a sandwich restaurant and a clothing brand.
I plan to stay in Japan long-term. My two children are half-Japanese, and I value raising them here.
How decisions are really made
Japanese business culture relies heavily on consensus-building, often through “nemawashi,” the process of privately aligning stakeholders before any formal decision is announced.
Feedback is similarly indirect. Japanese teams are often hesitant to raise concerns openly, which means issues can remain unspoken until they surface all at once. Decision-making is cautious and risk-averse, and change tends to be incremental rather than dramatic.
I’ve learned to factor this into timelines, particularly when working with Japanese clients who require internal alignment before moving forward. The people I hire tend to defy that stereotype and slot easily into our open, international culture.
I wouldn’t say my management style is particularly American, but my American communication style and entrepreneurial instinct certainly are. I try to respect local expectations, though I know my tendency to move quickly and take decisive swings has occasionally come across as abrasive in a culture where decisions are slow, and relationships are built with great caution.
Enforcing local business standards
Because all of my work is rooted in the Japanese market, I encourage international staff to follow Japanese work customs when dealing with local clients, while leaving room for each person to navigate what they’re personally comfortable with.
Punctuality is one example. In many countries, joining a Zoom call a minute or two late is inconsequential. In Japan, it’s not. Logging in at 9:01 a.m. for a 9 a.m. meeting is considered late, and I enforce that expectation.
The same applies to in-person meetings, where arriving at least 10 minutes early is standard. When doing business in Japan, being on time is non-negotiable.
My leadership philosophy is rooted in servant leadership. I’m heavily invested in the success of the people I work with, and that approach has helped me build trust across Japanese and international teams.
Identity, privilege, and perspective
As a white American woman in Japan, I’m perceived first as foreign. I’m also conscious of the privilege I carry. For anyone moving to Japan to lead a team, my advice is to be slow and deliberate.
Deliver important news one-on-one before making major announcements. Don’t expect clear or immediate feedback, and don’t assume silence means satisfaction. It’s also critical to respect people’s attachment to their roles, hierarchies, and existing relationships, which hold significant weight in Japanese workplaces.
I learned all of these lessons firsthand.
Do you have a story to share about working abroad? Contact the editor at [email protected].
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