Who we are
Japan Intercultural Consulting is a leading global training and consulting firm focused on Japanese business.
What we do
We help clients increase profitability and employee engagement through improved communication and working relationships in multicultural environments.
Where we operate
With offices and consultants around the world, Japan Intercultural Consulting has facilitators near you who understand your needs and your culture.
Photo by Masami Ataka
My aim in founding our company was to help others avoid the mistakes I made when learning how to work effectively in a Japanese organization.
About the founder
An authority on Japanese business practices and the human resource and cultural challenges faced by Japanese global companies, Rochelle Kopp has more than 25 years of experience supporting close collaboration between people and companies from inside and outside of Japan.
Our team
Keiko Nakano
Japan Representative
Pernille Rudlin
EMEA Representative
Paul Jaffe
New York Representative
Miwa Pierre
Mexico Representative
Claudia Romberg
EU Representative
Gan Kok Seng
Singapore Representative
Sarah Aptilon
Senior Consultant
Tak Kawasaki
Senior Consultant
Julia von dem Bussche-Hünnefeld
Consultant
Masamitsu Kobayashi
Consultant
Yoshiko Muto
Brazil Representative
Alex Fernández de Castro
Consultant
Keiko Takagi
Consultant
Andrew Bender
Senior Consultant
Ayako Hashimoto
Consultant
Jennifer Shinkai
Facilitator
Bryan Jacop
Senior Consultant
Yoshi Ieda
Michigan Representative
Our clients
Supporting dynamic global companies
Japan Intercultural Consulting supports Japanese organizations and non-Japanese organizations that have Japanese customers, suppliers, investors, or partners. We are proud to work with many of Japan’s most prominent firms, and with major global companies interacting with Japan.
News
Company announcements and commentary on current issues
Black Friday Savings on All JIC eLearning Courses
Japan Intercultural Consulting has moved all of its eLearning courses to the Thinkific platform—and
28 November, 2025
Beyond Clichés: France’s First Comprehensive Cultural Guide to Japan
Décoder le Japon (Decoding Japan ) was launched a week ago, and has already exceeded its target on K
20 November, 2025
New Branch in Canada for Japan Intercultural Consulting, staffed by Japan business veterans
Japan Intercultural Consulting is pleased to announce that we have opened a new branch in Canada, jo
12 September, 2025
Events
Exciting upcoming events and seminars from Japan Intercultural Consulting
Working Effectively with Japanese Online Seminar (West Coast Time Zone) March 10, 2026, 9am – 4pm PDT
Our Working effectively with Japanese online seminar will answer many of the questions you may have
23 March, 2025
Working Effectively with Americans Online Seminar (East Coast Time Zone) March 24, 2026, 9am – 4pm EDT
This seminar is designed to help Japanese gain a better understanding of their American colleagues’
22 March, 2025
Working Effectively with Japanese Online Seminar (East Coast Time Zone) March 31, 2026, 9am – 4pm EDT
“Why do Japanese take so long to make decisions?”“Why don’t Japanese give clear instructions?”“How c
21 March, 2025
Articles
Practical and interesting articles on a wide range of topics relating to Japanese business and culture
The culture component and why it matters in management
Let me start with what might at first appear to be a personal story unrelated to cross-cultural mana
06 December, 2025
21. Shower, Bath & Beyond【Column: Leap Before You Look】
The 26th of every month is designated as a “風呂の日 (furo day, or bath day)” in Japan. This comes
29 November, 2025
20. Cultured Culture【Column: Leap Before You Look】
When I was a young girl, my mom was ハマる (hooked on) コンブチャ (Kombucha) for a short period of time.&nbs
15 November, 2025
Publications
Insightful and practical books written by our founder and consultants