Jahrbuch der Eintracht Frankfurt 2018

Eintracht Frankfurt, Fördermitglied des DJW, hat das Jahrbuch "Building Bridges - Where we spread our spirit in 2018" herausgegeben. Ein Kapitel ist dem Engagement in Fernost gewidmet, das u. a. einen Beitrag des DJW-Vorstandsvorsitzenden Gerhard Wiesheu enthält.

When I went to Tokyo as a young banker in 1991, I experienced a period of social and economic transition. The wild days of stock and real estate speculation had just ended, Japan was reorienting itself. What impressed me the most in the 1990s was the high degree of discipline and openness to new ideas with which the country approached important change processes and, in the long term, mastered the realignment. What already characterized Japan at that time: technical affinity and tradition never contradict each other, they do not stand in the way of each other. Anyone who wants to know what Japanese culture is about should definitely attend a traditional tea ceremony. It is indescribably precise, and attention is paid to details. 

When it comes to business, those who want to succeed in Japan must pursue a long-term business strategy. It is essential to obey local needs. High quality of service and products is indispensable, because Japanese people have high expectations. They are very similar to us Germans in this respect. In addition, of course, long-term personal relationships with business partners are immensely important. Their cultivation can certainly lead to deep friendships. In the 30 years of my business experience with Japan, I have been able to build many trusting personal relationships with business partners. The most important currency for successful business is and remains mutual trust. 

As I have personally experienced, Germany is highly esteemed in Japan. For 150 years now there have been business relationships between our two countries, which have resulted in a trustful relationship. It is an advantage that both societies share many common values and virtues such as reliability and punctuality. Germany and Japan are established democracies, and the rule of law and free world trade are a matter of course for both. 

Eintracht Frankfurt enjoys a very high reputation in Japan. It is the Bundesliga club that achieves the highest TV ratings. This is not only due to the fact that Eintracht has always been able to hire very good Japanese players. Makoto Hasebe, or Hasebe-san as he is called in Japan, was the biggest coup in this respect. It doesn’t surprise me, therefore, that the cup victory was followed very intensively by football enthusiasts in Japan. Even during my visits to customers, this success was the number one topic for a long time. All in all, Eintracht is regarded as a strong Bundesliga club with very high international potential. This is another reason why I am convinced the club has great opportunities to enter into interesting long-term cooperations in Japan’s world of football.

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• Zuerst erschienen im Jahrbuch der Eintracht Frankfurt 2018, S. 128f.