Japanese executive scribes tips on how to succeed in business in India  

NEW DELHI.  In a first of its kind instance, a senior Japanese corporate executive has authored a book titled “What you should know about India to succeed in India” in the Japanese language (インドでビジネスを成功させるために知っておくべきこと).

Staying and working in India for the last 13 years, Nobuhiro Takahashi (57), the Managing Executive Officer (MEO) with a large Japanese automotive component manufacturing company in India, has poured his 30 years of corporate experience into dealing with the Indian business ecosystem in his 142-page book.

He is also an Advisor to the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (JCCII).

Published by a Japanese publishing house Gentosha Renaissance Shinsho, Tokyo, the book attempts to explain a little difference of points – How to make “Human Resource” and “Money”.

“This book concretely summarizes the struggles of a Japanese person who worked in India for 13 years. As an author, I would be very happy if I could be useful to people working in India,” said Nobuhiro Takahashi in an exclusive interaction with Asian Community News (ACN) Network.

Recently, he paid a visit to the ACN office to hand over his book to its editor Sanjeev K Ahuja.

Born in 1963, Takahashi is a graduate of the Osaka University of Foreign Studies and takes an avid interest in world economic and political developments revolving especially around Japan, India, and China, and he is a staunch supporter of India-Japan friendship.

Out of his long experience, he has penned down in-depth information on the Industrial Relations (IR) scene in the backdrop of human resource development and labour, factory, and wage laws and acts with an apt comparison between India, Japan, China, Thailand, etc. The book also finds mentions of various trade and labour unions and labour unrest incidents reported in the past, especially in Gurugram (Haryana). The book offers tips to the Japanese companies on the basis of the learning out of the labour unrest incidents.

According to Nobuhiro Takahashi, there are many books about India, but many of them are about the social situation and tourist information of India, so it is difficult to imagine the country as a whole.

“The reality of India, which is characterized by “unity in diversity” is not conveyed. As one of India’s current directors, I strongly feel that I should tell the people of Japan about the stereotypes of information and the points of management in India that are free from prejudice,” he stated in his book.

Related article: Japanese investors want India to move from stereotype “Large & Potential” to “Open & Deregulated” Economy

Divided into four sections, the book also mentions the Indian financial management, accounting, taxations issues, and accounting system and practices in the companies registered in India whether wholly-owned Japanese subsidiaries or joint venture firms.    

As an active advisor for JCCII, Takahashi has been in regular touch with the Indian government authorities as well as the Prime Minister Office (PMO) and has been contributing key suggestions related to various policies and regulations rolled out by various ministries. 

“As one of the Suggestion advisors of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India, the crisis I feel is that the appeal points for attracting investment in India have remained the stereotyped phrase for the last 30 years: “Large, Potential”. Unless we break away from this and change the slogan of “deregulation” and “open market” we cannot help but feel a sense of crisis that foreign investors will not give significance to India,” said Takahashi.

In his book, Takahashi also talks about his social and spiritual life in India where he turned into a philosopher. He has visited almost all historical monuments and world heritage sites in India and also learned yoga, especially during the lockdown period.  

The book will be published in Japan as Advisor of Suggestion Activities, JCCII, in order to deepen the enlightenment of Human Development in India for Public Welfare. In December 2020, from Gentosha in Tokyo, will publish the Japanese Language book with the intent to spread in Japan, the right understanding of polity of India itself, on how to develop human resources in India, keywords are, constitution and compliance, and also on various Know-how of Professional Director in India like how to manage board meeting, and how to take care of joint venture and how to take care of whistle-blowers, etc.

In the afterword of the book, Takahashi is all praise for the freedom of speech and expression available not only to the Indians but also to the expatriates, and he writes, “There are no countries in the world where foreigners can actively make political statements and make statements about foreign affairs and economic directions. If I had not been to India, I would not have worked for such a long time.”

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In March, Takahashi will be going back to Japan and leave a legacy behind for other Japanese nationals to continue.

“As we enter the post-Corona period, Japanese businessmen will continue their intellectual work to cultivate an open market in India. I will leave younger generations with the task of cultivating the largest remaining democratic market and producing a good harvest. Developing an open market in India is in line with Japan’s policy. The efforts made by Japanese business people in India toward the maturation of the market economy will benefit not only India but also Japan, and work in a situation where the company’s business and national interests coincide will be a valuable experience,” he stated in the book.

Takahashi recently met the local MLA from Pataudi constituency Satyaprakash Jarawta to present him a copy of his book at his residence. He has donated his book to the Embassy of Japan and JCCII also in New Delhi.  

The book is listed for sale on Amazon.co.jp (https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/高橋–信浩/dp/4344931556/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2QM8QGHCN0VQ9&dchild=1&keywords=インドでビジネスを成功させるために知っておくべきこと&qid=1607748380&s=books&sprefix=インドで,stripbooks,409&sr=1-1).