Business Meeting

Situation

田中たなか (Tanaka) is a department manager and 山田やまだ (Yamada) is a project leader at a Japanese company. They are holding a business meeting to discuss a new marketing campaign proposal. The meeting uses polite keigo (敬語けいご), which is standard in Japanese professional settings. At N3 level, this kind of exchange comes up in both listening practice and real workplace situations — so it is worth studying closely.

Dialogue

山田やまだ: 本日ほんじつはお忙いそがしい中なか、ご出席しゅっせきいただきありがとうございます。それでは、会議かいぎを始はじめさせていただきます。

Yamada: Honjitsu wa o-isogashii naka, go-shusseki itadaki arigatou gozaimasu. Soredewa, kaigi wo hajimesasete itadakimasu.

Yamada: Thank you for attending despite your busy schedule today. I would now like to start the meeting.

田中たなか: こちらこそ。山田やまださん、今日きょうの議題ぎだいについて教おしえていただけますか。

Tanaka: Kochira koso. Yamada-san, kyou no gidai ni tsuite oshiete itadakemasu ka.

Tanaka: Likewise. Yamada-san, could you walk me through today's agenda?

山田やまだ: はい。今日きょうは新あたらしいマーケティングキャンペーンの提案ていあんに関かんして、ご説明せつめいしたいと思おもいます。

Yamada: Hai. Kyou wa atarashii maaketingu kyanpeen no teian ni kanshite, go-setsumei shitai to omoimasu.

Yamada: Yes. Today I would like to explain our proposal regarding a new marketing campaign.

田中たなか: わかりました。予算よさんについてはどうなっていますか。

Tanaka: Wakarimashita. Yosan ni tsuite wa dou natte imasu ka.

Tanaka: Got it. How does the budget stand?

山田やまだ: 予算よさんは前回ぜんかいと比くらべて20パーセント増ふやすことになっています。ただ、効果こうかによっては調整ちょうせいすることも可能かのうです。

Yamada: Yosan wa zenkai to kurabete nijuu paasento fuyasu koto ni natte imasu. Tada, kouka ni yotte wa chousei suru koto mo kanou desu.

Yamada: The budget is set to increase by 20% compared to last time. That said, depending on the results, adjustments are possible.

田中たなか: そうですか。増ふやす理由りゆうを教おしえてもらえますか。

Tanaka: Sou desu ka. Fuyasu riyuu wo oshiete moraemasu ka.

Tanaka: I see. Could you explain the reason for the increase?

山田やまだ: はい。デジタル広告こうこくに力ちからを入いれるためです。SNSを利用りようすることで、より多おおくの若わかい顧客こきゃくにアプローチできると考かんがえています。

Yamada: Hai. Dejitaru koukoku ni chikara wo ireru tame desu. SNS wo riyou suru koto de, yori ooku no wakai kokyaku ni apuroochi dekiru to kangaete imasu.

Yamada: We want to push harder on digital advertising. By using social media, we think we can reach a larger base of younger customers.

田中たなか: なるほど。スケジュールはどうなっていますか。

Tanaka: Naruhodo. Sukejuuru wa dou natte imasu ka.

Tanaka: Makes sense. What does the timeline look like?

山田やまだ: 来月らいげつから準備じゅんびを始はじめて、3ヶ月後かげつごに開始かいしする予定よていになっています。準備じゅんび期間中きかんちゅうに担当者たんとうしゃを決きめておく必要ひつようがあります。

Yamada: Raigetsu kara junbi wo hajimete, san-kagetsu go ni kaishi suru yotei ni natte imasu. Junbi kikan-chuu ni tantousha wo kimete oku hitsuyou ga arimasu.

Yamada: We plan to begin preparations next month and launch three months after that. We will need to assign a person in charge during the preparation period.

田中たなか: 私わたしはこの提案ていあんに賛成さんせいします。ただ、実施じっしする前まえに、チーム全体ぜんたいで話はなし合あう必要ひつようがあると思おもいます。

Tanaka: Watashi wa kono teian ni sansei shimasu. Tada, jisshi suru mae ni, chiimu zentai de hanashiau hitsuyou ga aru to omoimasu.

Tanaka: I am in favor of this proposal. Before we move forward, though, I think the whole team needs to weigh in.

山田やまだ: おっしゃる通とおりです。来週らいしゅう、全員ぜんいん参加さんかの会議かいぎを設もうけることはできますか。

Yamada: Ossharu toori desu. Raishuu, zen'in sanka no kaigi wo moukeru koto wa dekimasu ka.

Yamada: You are absolutely right. Would it be possible to arrange an all-hands meeting next week?

田中たなか: はい、火曜日かようびの午後ごごなら大丈夫だいじょうぶです。では、引ひき続つづきよろしくお願ねがいします。

Tanaka: Hai, kayoubi no gogo nara daijoubu desu. Dewa, hikitsuzuki yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Tanaka: Yes, Tuesday afternoon works. I'm counting on your continued support.

Key Vocabulary

会議かいぎ

kaigi

— meeting, conference

出席しゅっせき

shusseki

— attendance, being present

議題ぎだい

gidai

— agenda, topic for discussion

提案ていあん

teian

— proposal, suggestion

予算よさん

yosan

— budget

調整ちょうせい

chousei

— adjustment, coordination

効果こうか

kouka

— effect, result

広告こうこく

koukoku

— advertisement, advertising

顧客こきゃく

kokyaku

— customer, client

担当者たんとうしゃ

tantousha

— person in charge, responsible party

準備じゅんび

junbi

— preparation

実施じっし

jisshi

— implementation, execution

賛成さんせい

sansei

— agreement, approval, being in favor

話はなし合あう

hanashiau

— to discuss, to talk over together

設もうける

moukeru

— to arrange, to set up, to establish

Grammar Notes

〜に関して (にかんして): Means "regarding" or "concerning," and sits a register above について — reserved for presentations, formal documents, and business speech. From the dialogue: 提案に関してご説明したい (I would like to explain regarding the proposal).
〜ことになっている: Marks a plan or rule that has been set — often by external circumstances rather than the speaker's own decision. Example: 来月から準備を始めることになっています (It has been decided that preparations will start next month). The nuance is that the speaker is reporting an arrangement, not announcing a personal choice.
〜によっては: Signals that an outcome varies depending on a condition — roughly "depending on." Example: 効果によっては調整することも可能です (Depending on the results, adjustments are also possible).
〜ていただく: The humble form of 〜てもらう. Used when the speaker receives a benefit from someone else's action and wants to express that respectfully. Example: ご出席いただきありがとうございます (Thank you for attending). More deferential than 〜てもらう, and the standard choice in formal keigo.
〜ために: Expresses purpose — "in order to" or "for the purpose of." Example: デジタル広告に力を入れるためです (It is in order to focus on digital advertising). The verb before ために must be in its plain (dictionary) form.
〜前に (まえに): Marks an action that must happen before another — "before doing X." The verb before 前に always takes the plain form, regardless of the tense of the main clause. Example: 実施する前に話し合う必要があります (We need to discuss before implementing).

Cultural Notes

Japanese business meetings (会議かいぎ) have a clear rhythm built around respect. Specific phrases mark the opening and closing — they are not optional formalities. It is expected to begin by acknowledging attendees with お忙いそがしい中なかありがとうございます (thank you despite your busy schedule). This applies even when the meeting was pre-scheduled, because it shows awareness of others' time — a core value in Japanese professional culture. Closing with 引ひき続つづきよろしくお願ねがいします (I'm counting on your continued support) is equally expected as a polite sign-off.

Japanese business decisions often follow a consensus-building process called 根回ねまわし (nemawashi), in which ideas are quietly discussed and agreed upon informally before the official meeting. This means formal meetings are frequently used to confirm decisions rather than make them from scratch. Notice that 田中たなか does not reject the proposal outright — instead, he calls for a full-team discussion, reflecting this collaborative, harmony-focused approach to decision-making. Expressing direct disagreement in a meeting is generally considered impolite; it is more common to raise concerns indirectly and suggest further review.

Practice

Five ways to practice this dialogue actively:

Role-play the full conversation with a partner. Take turns playing 田中たなか (the manager) and 山田やまだ (the project leader). Pay attention to the difference in politeness and tone — the project leader uses slightly more deferential language when presenting to the manager.
Substitution drill 1: Replace マーケティングキャンペーン (marketing campaign) with other business projects such as 新商品しんしょうひんの開発かいはつ (new product development) or 社内研修しゃないけんしゅう (in-house training program) and adapt the surrounding dialogue naturally.
Substitution drill 2: Replace 火曜日かようびの午後ごご (Tuesday afternoon) with other times: 水曜日すいようびの午前中ごぜんちゅう (Wednesday morning), 木曜日もくようびの夕方ゆうがた (Thursday evening), and practice the full scheduling exchange.
Substitution drill 3: Change the budget direction. Instead of 20パーセント増ふやす (increase by 20%), try 15パーセント減へらす (reduce by 15%) and see how the conversation and reasoning shift.
Variation scenario: Re-enact the conversation, but this time 田中たなか is not yet convinced and wants more information. Practice using 具体的ぐたいてきに説明せつめいしていただけますか (Could you explain more specifically?) and もう少すこし詳くわしく聞きかせてください (Please tell me in a bit more detail) to extend the dialogue naturally.