Recently I was interviewed for the Nikkei Business Newspaper, talking about the differences between Japan and Germany business concepts. During the interview, which was published in the newspaper on monday, 7th October 2019, we touched upon different topics, but especially talked about traditional Japanese values including the ‘mottainai‘ concept, which can be translated in German as ‘zu schade..‘ or in English as ‘what a waste‘. The concept is in times of promoting SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) reemerging again to encourage people to “reduce, reuse and recycle” more. Lets hope it is not just a trend but a return to some basic and great values the Japanese culture has to offer.
