A study investigated which experiences helped Japanese learners of English as a second language acquire native-like politeness strategies and how Japanese businessmen perceive the relationship between degrees of indirectness and politeness in Japanese and in English. Subjects were 22 adult males, including 17 native speakers of Japanese working for large businesses and living in Japan or the United States, and a comparison group of 5 native speakers of American English working in a large American firm. The subjects completed discourse completion tasks and a questionnaire. The discourse completion tasks involved refusals, giving embarrassing information, and disagreement in interactions between lower- and higher-status colleagues. Responses revealed patterns both within and across cultural groups. It is concluded that living experience in the target culture helped learners acquire native-like pragmatic competence, and that the Japanese and American businessmen shared an understanding of the relationship between degrees of politeness and directness. All valued their native norms in speaking to higher-status colleagues. Contains 18 references. The questionnaire is appended. (MSE)