Email in Japan focuses on politeness, not brevity.
When you create complication abroad, it's all-important to not particular be aware of cultural differences between countries, on the other hand to adjust your own response to those differences accordingly. This is mainly factual when writing an email to a Japanese corporation or bag time to come whose valuable talking isn't English, as yet a no problem faux pas becomes yet bounteous complicated with a speaking barrier. X-san", as this is essentially greeting the reader as "Mr. Mr. X". Extremely enshrine that, in Japan, disposed and family names are written in the diametric array to their Western counterparts--the remain compellation comes before the basic.
By observing the Correct Japanese email Conventional manners in a metier setting, you prove your willingness to appreciate Japanese culture and---by extension---your adaptability to a firm's needs.
Names
Attaching the honorific "-san" after the recipient's denomination is everyday courtesy, comparable to addressing someone in America as Mr. or Miss. Don't combine them, such as writing "Mister. Provided you aren't trustworthy which epithet is your recipient's surname, gem elsewhere in advance to avoid a colloquial all the more annoying faux pas.Politeness
Field emails in Japan are generally written using the well mannered formation of words, sometimes called "keigo," unless both the sender and recipient appreciate Everyone other bare fine. Provided you're unsure if or not to appropriateness keigo, it's a good idea to use it until your recipient tells you it's unnecessary.
The fact keigo is highly regarded and considered standard gives you an indication how important politeness is in your letter. While emails are indeed less formal than a regular letter, a polite greeting before launching into the matter at hand is normal and often expected. Even something as small as inquiring about the weather will work in this instance.
Stringing
It's actually considered rude in Japan to continually tack a new message onto an older one, to the point an entire thread is created. You've probably seen this on a forum or two, with later responses often looking like "Re:re:re:re:subject." It's a better choice to simply create a new email and refer to the previous one in a sentence or two, to keep the email looking clean and professional.
Japanese Vs. English
If you feel confident enough with your Japanese skills to write the email entirely in the language, this option will put many businessmen at ease. While English is a mandatory subject taught over the course of several years in Japanese schools, not even Japanese salarymen always learn the language to a business level, and they don't speak it every day except in situations where international communication is commonplace. If you're more confident with or prefer to write in English, note in your email that future communication will take place in English unless the recipient requests them to be in Japanese.
Age Gap Alternatives
Although the younger generation is generally more computer-savvy, many Japanese companies are still led by older people who may not be familiar, or even comfortable with email. If you know your recipient isn't familiar with email, try writing a short note including an offer to speak more in-depth over the phone, or in person if it's possible. This way you give the power of deciding to your reader, while displaying your own adeptness at either form of communication.