Writing e-mails in Japan

Not necessarily IBD, but professionals in finance in general (either cold-mailing or having the name from a mutual contact)

What's the polite way to address someone in Japan? I did some googling, but it was for business in general (less internationalized) and wasn't conclusive. The only conclusion was that "Dear firstname" is rude.

The most preferred way seems to be "Dear lastName-san". On the other hand, some Japanese communicate with foreigners to the point they adopt middle westernized names and use it as a first name; the san part is weird then. "Mr/Ms lastName" is setting up for failure of not guessing the gender, so not an option either.

The -san way seems the safest to me . What do you think? Does it matter at all?

 

If it's a Japanese person you're addressing & you don't know him/her, always address that person as "-san". Many Japanese, particularly at Western firms, adopt Western names (i.e. Tomohiro aka Tommy), but that is mainly intended for either colleagues or clients to use.

All the world's indeed a stage, And we are merely players, Performers and portrayers, Each another's audience, Outside the gilded cage - Limelight (1981)
 
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