The standard structure
Minutes follow a conventional layout that barely varies between companies, which means most of the document can be prepared before the meeting begins.
Filling in the header in advance leaves you free to concentrate on the two things that actually need listening: decisions and actions.
| Field | Japanese | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| Title | 議事録 | The document name |
| Date and time | 日時 | Date, start and end |
| Place | 場所 | Room or online |
| Attendees | 出席者 | Names, sometimes departments |
| Agenda | 議題 | The items discussed |
| Decisions | 決定事項 | What was agreed |
| Actions | 宿題事項 | Who does what by when |
The last two rows are the point of the document. Everything above them is administration that can be filled in beforehand.
Recording decisions
A decision line should state what was agreed and nothing else. Resist the temptation to record who argued for what, which is rarely wanted and can cause problems later.
Noun-ending phrasing is standard here and keeps entries short. Full polite sentences make minutes longer without making them clearer.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 新システムの導入を承認。 | Shin shisutemu no dōnyū o shōnin. | Introduction of the new system approved. |
| 予算案は次回に持ち越し。 | Yosan-an wa jikai ni mochikoshi. | The budget proposal carried over to next time. |
| A案を採用することで合意。 | Ē-an o saiyō suru koto de gōi. | Agreed to adopt option A. |
| 現行の方針を継続。 | Genkō no hōshin o keizoku. | The current policy continues. |
| 結論は保留。 | Ketsuron wa horyū. | The conclusion is deferred. |
| 詳細は別途検討。 | Shōsai wa beppo kentō. | Details to be considered separately. |
Recording actions
An action needs three things: what, who and by when. An action without an owner or a deadline is not an action, and minutes that omit either are the commonest complaint about them.
If a deadline was not stated in the meeting, ask before writing the minutes rather than leaving it blank.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 田中：資料を作成（来週金曜まで） | Tanaka: shiryō o sakusei (raishū kin'yō made) | Tanaka: prepare materials, by next Friday |
| 各自：意見を提出（今週中） | Kakuji: iken o teishutsu (konshū-chū) | Each person: submit views, within this week |
| 営業部：数値を確認 | Eigyō-bu: sūchi o kakunin | Sales: confirm the figures |
| 次回までに案を三つ用意 | Jikai made ni an o mittsu yōi | Prepare three proposals by next time |
| 担当者未定 | Tantōsha mitei | Owner not yet decided |
| 期限は追って連絡 | Kigen wa otte renraku | The deadline will be advised |
The last two are legitimate entries when nothing was decided. Recording that an owner is undecided is more useful than leaving the line out.
What to leave out
Minutes are more useful when they are shorter. The most common mistake is transcribing the discussion, which produces a document nobody reads and which can create difficulties if opinions are attributed.
Leave out the argument and keep the outcome, unless there is a specific reason to record how a decision was reached.
- Who disagreed with what, unless it must be on record.
- The back-and-forth of a discussion.
- Your own interpretation of what someone meant.
- Small talk and digressions.
- Anything you are not certain you heard correctly; ask instead.
Taking minutes in a second language
Taking minutes while still learning Japanese sounds impossible and is manageable, because you do not need to follow everything. You need the decisions and the actions, which are marked by predictable phrases.
Listening for those markers rather than for the content is the technique that makes it work.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| それでは、こういうことで。 | Sore de wa, kō iu koto de. | So, on that basis. (a decision is landing) |
| 担当は誰にしますか。 | Tantō wa dare ni shimasu ka. | Who will be responsible? (an action) |
| 期限は来週金曜です。 | Kigen wa raishū kin'yō desu. | The deadline is next Friday. |
| 次回までに、 | Jikai made ni, | By the next meeting, |
| この件は保留とします。 | Kono ken wa horyū to shimasu. | This matter is deferred. |
| 以上で終わります。 | Ijō de owarimasu. | That concludes the meeting. |
Circulating and correcting
Send minutes the same day. Corrections are easy while people remember and impossible a week later, and circulating early is also how you find out whether you understood the meeting correctly.
Inviting corrections explicitly is normal and takes the pressure off a document written in a second language.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 議事録を送付いたします。 | Gijiroku o sōfu itashimasu. | I am sending the minutes. |
| ご確認をお願いいたします。 | Gokakunin o onegai itashimasu. | Please check them. |
| 誤りがありましたら、ご指摘ください。 | Ayamari ga arimashitara, goshiteki kudasai. | Please point out any errors. |
| 修正版を再送いたします。 | Shūsei-ban o saisō itashimasu. | I am resending the corrected version. |
| 聞き取れなかった箇所がございます。 | Kikitorenakatta kasho ga gozaimasu. | There are parts I could not catch. |
| 補足をいただけますと幸いです。 | Hosoku o itadakemasu to saiwai desu. | I would be grateful for any additions. |
Saying plainly that you could not catch something is better than guessing. Colleagues fill the gap readily and the record ends up accurate.