The Impact of Corporate Culture on Public Relations in Japan: A Case Study Examining Tokyo Electric Power and Toyota

Employing a case study approach, this article examines the impact of Japanese corporate culture on public relations crisis response, using Tokyo Electric Power’s handling of the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011 and Toyota’s management of a brake recall issue in 2010 as examples. The article considers the country’s traditional corporate culture norms, including governance, lifetime employment, hierarchy and information sharing. It also examines the evolution and current role of public relations practitioners and firms within this culture. Readers will discover: • how local corporate culture can have a dramatic impact on public relations crisis response; • why the public relations function in an open society must be more than a collecting and distribution point for C-suite communications; • and how Hofstede’s Cultural Index can be useful in illuminating potential challenges for public relations professionals woking in a multi-national corporation or organization