Contracts in Japan Aren’t the Finish Line — They’re the Start

Last month, I was in the middle of negotiating a partnership contract for a European e-commerce brand entering Japan. The instinct on his side was to lock in the lowest price possible.

But the Japanese partner wasn’t negotiating on price — they were watching how much we understood their business, and whether the deal was built to last.

We restructured the offer around a performance-based model instead of a flat fee, and spent as much time explaining “why” the price made sense as negotiating the number itself.

If you’re heading into a negotiation in Japan and it feels like it’s only about price, feel free to reach out.