Japan has long been a glimmering beacon for emerging tech companies. Some of the world’s most advanced multinationals–think Panasonic, Sony, Toyota and Hitachi–are based there. So for the startups that cater to these companies, as well as emerging tech leaders, “cracking Japan” is inevitably part of their expansion roadmaps. But it’s notoriously difficult, not only because there are language and culture differences, but because westerners can approach Japan in awkward ways. According to Barnabas Birmacher, CEO of mobile dev-ops company Bitrise, companies make two common mistakes. They either t…