“Americans complain that the Japanese use vague words and ambiguous expressions so that it is hard to know where they stand. Sometimes even other Japanese say that they are not sure of what to conclude about some discussions in Japanese. . . Indirect expressions become sources of irritation in communication with foreigners. That the Japanese use many ways of indicating "no" without actually saying so explicitly often misleads the non-Japanese. ‘That will be difficult,’ and ‘I'll think about it’ are common circumlocutions. Misunderstandings are also likely if a ‘think about it’ response is taken literally as a promise to consider the matter.
Just as the foreigners can become confused when faced with Japanese indirectness, Japanese can become confused about Western directness, feeling that it must have some ulterior motive or meaning, as would likely be the case in Japan . . . What's more, the American preference is for linear—lines of argument, lines of reasoning, while the Japanese style, like the Japanese flag, favors the curve. To go around something rather than ‘straight to the point’ is preferred. Points stick out, points might injure someone. In Japan one takes care to avoid either eventually.
In intercultural communication situations, it is important for people to be aware of the potential for various misunderstandings and to avoid them. However, despite the best of intentions, serious misunderstanding and even conflicts can occur. One reason for this is that even though people consciously attempt to avoid problems, they are still making judgment about what others say and how others express things based on their own cultural values as they are communicating. Cultural differences affect both their communication decisions and interpretation of what others communicate.”
~ Professor Fengping Gao, "Japanese: A Heavily Culture-Laden Language"
