Contacts （交往) between Japan and the rest of the world have grown a great deal in the twe

Contacts (交往) between Japan and the rest of the world have grown a great deal in the twentieth century. In the last thirty years, business contacts between Japan and the West have become very important. Many foreign companies now have offices in Japan and Japanese businessmen do business around the world.

Differences between Japanese and Western ways of doing business, however, often bewilder the foreign businessman and make doing business in Japan difficult for foreigners.

The American businessman, for example, wants to start talking business immediately. He wants quick decisions. He does not wait. The Japanese, on the other hand, likes to arrive at decisions gradually after giving them a great deal of thought.

Another thing foreign businessmen have difficulty in understanding is when a Japanese means "Yes" or "No". This is because of cultural difference for a Japanese to say "No" directly.

In English, it is easy to say "No" to something we do not want to do. But in Japan it is very difficult to say "No". To refuse an invitation or a request with "No", or a similar phrase, is felt to be impolite. It is thought to be selfish (自私) and unfriendly. So instead of saying "No" directly, the Japanese have developed many ways to avoid saying "No". These enable them to avoid hurting other people's feeling. However, this often makes communication with the Japanese difficult for foreigners to understand and follow.

Paragraph One tells us that______.

A．it is not always easy for foreigners to do business in Japan

B．Japan is a very important country for businessmen

C．business contacts between Japan and the West are important

D．Japanese businessmen do business all around the world