Socio-cultural and linguistic divergences can affect three key aspects of a project:

The first thing that will strike you when conducting focus groups in Japan is the amount of time required - both for preparation and for the actual completion of the sessions. There are several reasons for this.

Real estate in Tokyo is very expensive and the market research industry is relatively small. As a result, the there are fewer equipped facilities that one might expect compared with other locations on the international circuit. Allowing a good 3-4 week lead-time for the booking of your location is therefore advisable. This may need to be even longer when recruiting from very low incidence populations.

Project preparation also involves assembling a team with the appropriate qualifications. You will need to work with a skilled bi-cultural, bi-lingual project coordinator who can manage the set-up process (this usually involves much communication back and forth across time zones). The project coordinator will usually be responsible for providing the other key players - moderators and translators.

Top-notch simultaneous translators, particularly those with focus group experience, are somewhat scarce. The demands can be even greater if you have a specialized product or concept, heavy in technical terminology. Again advance booking of the best interpreters can affect the lead-time. One way to reduce a potential wait (and reduce costs) is to consider transcription and translation after completion of the groups, rather than simultaneous translation. However, this is clearly not an option if you and your non-bilingual clients are coming to view the sessions!

The complexity of dealing with the Japanese language also contributes to an extended preparation time. Japanese is a language of nuance and frequently word-for-word equivalence is not possible. This means that great care must be taken, even with the translation of the discussion guidelines and objectives. It can take several rounds of checking to be sure that the intended meaning is really being communicated. Often a simple back translation process is not good enough. This can be frustrating for the client if they feel that they are required to explain something that is painfully clear in English!

The time taken for the actual execution of the focus groups can also be longer than overseas clients are accustomed to. Japanese people working in Tokyo (and especially the working-age males needed for B2B groups) often commute for 1-2 hours. This means that a typical scenario would have them joining the group after a long day at work, participating for 2 hours (after downing the dinner you've provided!) and then racing back to the station in time to catch a late train home. As a result, only one group session per evening can usually be completed, rather than the two that might be possible in other countries. In short, you and your team will take more days to complete your project and this means an extended stay in Tokyo (a nice, but expensive city!).

Indeed the overall cost of conducting focus groups in Japan is generally more expensive than in the US and Europe. In some cases it has been reported to be up to 6 times more expensive than in the US.

In part this can be attributed to the higher cost of living in Japan in general (a large pizza will cost you US$ 25-30!!) and this premium applies to hire costs, salaries and incentives. In addition, the number of people involved in the execution of your project can appear to be on the high side. Typically the team will include translators, moderators, receptionist to placate the participants, and the project coordinator along with the facility staff who provide the food and technology. Each person has an important role and this simply reflects the normal protocol for conducting business in Japan.

Other than timing and cost considerations, the actual experience of observing groups in Japan can be quite different from other countries.

Focus groups in Japan typically comprise of 6-8 people. Little over-recruiting is done as the Japanese culture is very conscious of meeting obligations and keeping to set arrangements. The culture also has a great deal of structure, rules and a strong leaning towards consensus and conformity. There is extreme deference to seniority and job status and a male-female dichotomy of power. As a result, its generally not advisable to put men and women together in the same group and similar considerations apply for younger and older people, working and non-working etc. Inadvertently mixing these segments or not being aware of the underlying power plays that exist can make for a very dysfunctional (and non-productive) group dynamic.

Non-verbal behavior and implication is very strong in Japanese culture. For example if a respondent is asked about a product or concept, and they tilt their head slightly to one side, this usually means 'not really', even though they may be saying 'it is OK'. The project coordinator should be of help in explaining the nuances of observed behavior.

Gauging the true opinions of individuals, within the context of the group, can be tricky. The education system in Japan is very much oriented towards 'right and wrong', meaning that it is generally believed that there is a right answer and a wrong answer to questions. People will hesitate to give their thoughts until they are sure that they are in line with the rest of the group and therefore 'right'. This can be particularly worrying when assessing reaction to new concepts and products.

Technology can provide a solution to this problem, by asking the participants to record their individual responses using handheld, wireless devices. The responses are then fed back to the moderator and observers. In this way, the 'true opinions' are captured before they become tainted by the 'need to conform' and can be used by the moderator to frame subsequent questions used to probe deeper and uncover the underlying thinking.

This is also an area where an experienced moderator can add value. Usually they will softly challenge opinions and pick up on the non-verbal communication. This can even involve stating the exact opposite of what a respondent has said in order to elicit verbalization their idea in full. At other times it may seem that the moderator is off on a tangent, or 'going over the same stuff'. However, this is really part of the same process, all aimed at gauging true opinions and thoughts rather than the constructed ones that conform with the group (or to the powerful person in the group).

This lack of 'passionate opinion', when compared to the generally more forthright expressions of participants in the US or Europe, can make you feel that the group is headed nowhere fast or is 'dead'. In such circumstances talking in an overly direct manner to the moderator with suggestions can often offend and just make things more difficult. Rely heavily on your coordinators and liaison staff, as they will guide you through this process and can ensure that your concerns are understood and acted upon in an appropriate manner. The best advice though is to be patient, as it will all come together in the end - sometimes surprisingly so!


So a 'challenges and fixes' check list for focus groups in Japan would be:

Given increasing budget pressure and the high costs of conducting focus groups in Japan, it is unsurprising that the country is sometimes being dropped from the Asian legs of large international projects. What should not be overlooked though is the strategic importance of this market. Japan remains the 2nd largest economy in the world and by far the most important in Asia. Moreover, researching other Asian countries, which are all extremely different, cannot realistically be used to cover Japan. If your product's coming to Asia, it's still worth including Japan in your research program!

Finally if you do come to Japan to conduct focus group interviews, remember the aim is to be as well prepared as possible at the highest level of detail, to be flexible and patient and to work closely with the local team in Japan who are most familiar with this unusual market.

Then you get to sit back and enjoy the wonderful experience that is Japan.