<![CDATA[This study investigated speech acts and politeness strategies in Japanese corporate communication within the intercultural environment of PT. Ohki Indonesia. Using a qualitative cultural-pragmatic approach, the research analyzed a mixed corpus of written correspondence (75 items), recorded meetings (8 sessions; ≈6 hours), and semi-structured interviews (12 participants) between Japanese expatriates and Indonesian employees. The analysis indicated on speech act theory (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1969), Brown & Levinson’s politeness framework (1987), and Ide’s concept of wakimae (1989). Findings show that Japanese corporate discourse systematically deploys honorific forms (keigo), indirect directives, ritualized apologies, and hedging to maintain wa (harmony) and hierarchical relations; Indonesian interlocutors display respectful directness grounded in rukun and tepo seliro. These differing pragmatic realizations produced occasional misalignments which Japanese indirectness can be read as evasiveness, and Indonesian directness as bluntness, requiring pragmatic competence and mutual adaptation. The paper concluded with practical implications for intercultural training and institutional protocols to improve communication in Japanese–Indonesian corporate settings.]]>
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