When a TV announcer [in America] reported Bill Clinton’s comment to Boris Yeltsin that when the Japanese say yes, they often mean no, he gave the news with an expression of mild disbelief. Having spent my life between East and West, I can sympathize with those who find the Japanese yes unfathomable. However, the fact that it sometimes fails to correspond precisely with the Occidental yes does not necessarily signal intended deception. This was probably why the announcer looked bewildered, and it marks a cultural gap that can have serious repercussions.

I once knew an American who worked in Tokyo. He was a very nice man, but he suffered a nervous breakdown and went back to the United States tearing his hair and exclaiming, “All Japanese businessmen are liars.” I hope this is not true. If it were, all Japanese businessmen would be driving each other mad, which does not seem to be the case. Nevertheless, since tragedies often arise from misunderstandings, an attempt at some explanation might not be amiss.

A Japanese yes in its primary context simply means the other person has heard you and is contemplating a reply. This is because it would be rude to keep someone waiting for an answer without supplying him with an immediate response.

For example: A feudal warlord marries his sister to another warlord. (I am back to TV.) Then he decides to destroy his newly acquired brother-in-law and besieges the castle. Being human, though, the attacking warlord worries about his sister and sends a spy to look around. The spy returns and the lord inquires eagerly. “Well, is she safe?” The spy bows and answers, “Hai,” which means yes. We sigh with relief, thinking, “Ah, the fair lady is still alive!” But then the spy continues, “To my regret she has fallen on her sword together with her husband.”

Hai is also an expression of our willingness to comply with your intent even if your request is worded in the negative. This can cause complications. When I was at school, our English teacher, a British nun would say, “Now children, you won’t forget to do your homework, will you?” And we would all dutifully chorus, “Yes, mother,” much to her consternation.

A variation of hai may mean, “I understand your wish and would like to make you happy but unfortunately...” Japanese being a language of implication, the latter part of this estimable thought is often left unsaid.

Is there, then, a Japanese yes that corresponds to the Western one? I think so, particularly when it is accompanied by phrases such as “sodesu” (it is so) and “soshimasu” (I will do so).

A word of caution against the statement “I will think about it.” Though in Tokyo this can mean a willingness to give one’s proposal serious thought, in Osaka, another business center, it means a definite no. This attitude probably stems from the belief that a straightforward no would sound too brusque.

When talking to a Japanese person, it is perhaps best to remember that although he may be speaking English, he is reasoning in Japanese. And if he says, “I will think about it,” you should inquire as to which district of Japan he hails from before going on with your negotiations.