Japan: Strict — On Time Means On Time.
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Strict — On Time Means On Time. Punctuality is an extremely strong cultural value — arriving even a couple of minutes late, in any context, is genuinely considered disrespectful. Trains famously run to the minute, and people plan around that expectation.
Japan: Strict — On Time Means On Time. Punctuality is an extremely strong cultural value — arriving even a couple of minutes late, in any context, is genuinely considered disrespectful. Trains famously run to the minute, and people plan around that expectation.
In Japan, on-time means on-time — arriving even a few minutes late without notice is genuinely noticed and can be seen as disrespectful.
No — professional meetings run more punctually than social gatherings almost everywhere in the world, regardless of a country's general reputation. Default to arriving on time or a few minutes early for anything business-related.
This reflects general social norms, not business-context rules — professional meetings tend to run more punctually than social gatherings almost everywhere, regardless of a country's overall reputation. When in doubt, showing up on time is never the wrong call.