Business Manners

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Depending on the company, company systems and styles differ. Therefore, while it cannot be said that the order of company positions is always the same, there are various differences to be found between normal Japanese businesses and foreign business with regard to how to call positions. Recently, the number of Japanese businesses which use the same position names as foreign businesses is increasing, but either way, position names show a person’s role and authority in a company. Take care to accurately ascertain what the position of the person in question is.

Normal Japanese businesses
Foreign businesses
Kaichou
会長
This position is above that of the shachou, and is the representative of the board of directors in a stock corporation. In most cases, a person who has retired from being shachou takes this as an honorary position.
CEO
Shachou (Daihyou torishimariyaku)
社長
(代表取締役)
The top person in a company’s organization.
Fuku shachou
副社長
A person below the shachou but above the senmu in the company organization.
COO/CFO
Senmu
専務
A person below the fuku shachou but above the joumu in a company organization.
Partner
Joumu
常務
A person below the senmu but above the buchou in a company organization.
Buchou
部長
The top person of a particular part of a company organization.
Managing Director
Jichou
次長
Assisting the buchou, the person in this position oversees the kachou.
Director
Kachou
課長
The top person of a particular section in a particular organization in a company organization.
Senior Manager
Kakarichou
係長
The top person of a particular task in a company organization.
Manager
※The above is a normal example, and may differ in actual practice.