Online meetings (videoconferencing, Zoom, etc.), in the case of Japan amid the current pandemic climate, became immediately essential. In this regard, it’s quite similar to the rest of the economically developed world.

Japan’s added challenge in business has been aggressively transforming a largely paper-based society in which people value relations and “being there” more than some other countries. Japan’s notorious for its continued use of fax machines and piles of paperwork.

But it has been adapting, quite quickly in some areas.

Japan’s changing and we see it everyday in the broader use of e-payment systems, acceptance of telework, and in videoconferencing and negotiations.

Our News from Japan this month all speaks to this new normal and how Sansan is leading the way in changing how Japan works (and how to the world works).

Sansan Report: Online Meetings and Business Cards Rapidly Increasing, but Still a Challenge

Via our consumer app Eight, we conducted a survey of Japanese businesspeople regarding their use of online meetings and online business card exchange. The results revealed a rapidly changing landscape.

We found widespread and growing trends in online meetings and business negotiations, telework, and staggered work hours in Japan.

We found a huge uptick in the use of contact management apps and of online business cards, as you can see in this chart.

Despite these positive advancements, our research also found 51.8% of respondents cited difficulties with online meetings. Clearly we’ve got a ways to go till we’re all talking into a webcam like we’re right next to each other.

The report is here (in Japanese).

Learn more about the Sansan Virtual Cards feature here.

And on that note…

“A sign of the times…” (Sansan TV/Web commercial)

As introduced in last month’s update, TV actor Yutaka Matsushige (松重豊) features as the old-school businessman getting the hang of online meetings and digital business card exchange.

In the latest installment of the popular Sansan TV and online commercials, our hero and his younger protege find themselves doing an online meeting in a old-style Japanese coffee shop.

A familiar face emerges as the coffee store owner is now a witness to the increasing use of online business card exchange.

Sansan is leading the way in Japan, and these ads not only touch on the changing times, they show the challenges and possibilities of changing how we work. The video’s racked up thousands of views across social platforms.

ADX Global Sales Online Event

Sansan held the ADX Global Sales Online Event to promote digital transformation (so-called DX) in the ASEAN region. Nine speakers talked about key points to know when expanding in ASEAN and the current state of ASEAN DX.

The event page is here. We hope to have a rebroadcast and summary for you soon.

Sansan Collaborates with SMBC to Support Digitization for Businesses

Sansan is collaborating with Plari Town, a subsidiary of leading Japanese megabank Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), to promote digitization in Japan.

Plari Town is a business tool matching service for SMBC client companies. It introduces companies to a range of digital solutions in Japan, and is used by SMBC client companies.

Sansan’s namesake cloud-business card contact management service will be added to boost these companies’ efforts to digitize and to utilize their contact networks to their fullest extent.

Read the Sansan press release here (in Japanese).

Author David Bernstein Speaks at Builders Box Online Event

At the end of August, Builders Box, Sansan’s ongoing project to motivate and activate engineers hosted its first Builders Box on Air online event.

David Bernstein, author of Beyond Legacy Code, was the invited guest. He discussed his book and gave a talk on “Five Essential for Agile Development,” aimed at inspiring engineers.

The Builders Box event page is here (in Japanese).

See you next month with more updates on Sansan’s ongoing influence in Japan, and further out to the world.