Not a Japanese company, but similar. I started my career working for a Korean conglomerate. Korean has similar honorifics as Japanese, as well an obsession for

Not a Japanese company, but similar. I started my career working for a Korean conglomerate. Korean has similar honorifics as Japanese, as well an obsession for titles (even more so than Japan a I would say). When I, as a Korean American, got promoted into a managerial role with direct reports, I tried to foster a more casual working environment and told my new minions they could call me by name. My manager chewed me out for that - my reports were to always refer to me as Team Leader John, not John (not my real name). I quit that job, and got into my first Western (British) company. I ask how I should be addressing my managers and superiors, and the answer is “oh just call them by their first name, whether it’s your line manager or the CEO”. Culture shock.