The Top-Level Maneuver: 善処します (Zensho shimasu)

Have you ever reported a serious issue to a superior and received the weighty response: 「わかった、こちらで善処します」(Wakatta, kochira de zensho shimasu)?

It sounds like, "Understood, I will handle it appropriately," but this is no simple promise. It's one of the most nuanced and powerful phrases in Japanese business and political communication. 🧐

It's NOT "I'll solve it"

For a simple fix, people would use words like:

• 対応します (taiou shimasu): I'll handle/deal with it.
• 解決します (kaiketsu shimasu): I'll resolve (the problem).

善処します carries a completely different weight. It's more formal, more serious, and... more ambiguous.

So what IS 「善処します」? 🤔

It's a statement with two primary layers:

1. An Acknowledgement of Responsibility: The speaker shows they have taken the issue seriously and accept their responsibility to handle it. This is a way to reassure the other party that "Your problem has been noted at the highest level."
2. An 'Open-Ended' Promise: This is the key part. 善処 (zensho) means "to deal with something in the best and most appropriate way according to the circumstances." This implies that the speaker will consider the situation and take the course of action that THEY deem best, which isn't necessarily the outcome that YOU want.

In other words, it's a way to:

• Show seriousness and responsibility. 💼
• Buy time to think, avoiding making a concrete promise on the spot.
• Keep an 'escape route' if the outcome isn't as expected.

In a Nutshell

When you hear 善処します, understand that:

• ✅ The Good: Your issue has been heard and will be taken seriously.
• ⚠️ The Caution: Don't assume the outcome will be 100% what you desire. The final result depends on the speaker's judgment.

Understanding 善処します means you've grasped one of the highest-level secrets to decoding communication in the Japanese workplace. ✨