A meeting ends, and a Japanese 議事録 arrives. You recognize your name but cannot tell whether you have been assigned a task. Go straight to 決定事項 (decisions) and 対応事項／ToDo (actions). For each action, find the 担当者 (owner), 期限 (deadline), and the expected output. If any of those are unclear, ask for confirmation in the same thread while the discussion is fresh.
Words in Japanese meeting notes
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 議事録 | gijiroku | Meeting notes or minutes |
| 議題 | gidai | Agenda item or topic |
| 決定事項 | kettei jikō | Decision made |
| 検討事項 | kentō jikō | Item still under consideration |
| 継続検討／保留 | keizoku kentō / horyū | Continue discussing / pending |
| 対応事項／宿題 | taiō jikō / shukudai | Action item / follow-up task (informal workplace usage) |
| 担当者／主担当 | tantōsha / shu-tantō | Person responsible / primary owner |
| 期限／締切／目安 | kigen / shimekiri / meyasu | Due date / deadline / rough target |
| 確認依頼／要確認 | kakunin irai / yō kakunin | Request to check / needs checking |
| 共有／展開 | kyōyū / tenkai | Share / circulate to relevant people |
| 次回までに | jikai made ni | By the next meeting; check when that is |
The headings vary by team. Some notes use “アクション,” “タスク,” or a table with columns such as 内容 (task), 担当 (owner), and 期限 (due date). A name listed among 出席者 (attendees) does not by itself make that person the owner of every task.
Turn the notes into a clear next step
- Check whether a point was decided. “決定” means the group settled it; “案” (proposal), “検討” (under consideration), and “保留” (pending) signal that more work or confirmation is needed. Do not describe a proposal as approved in a later email.
- Find the action row. Read across the task, owner and deadline. If there are two names, ask who leads and who supports. If the notes say “各自” (each person), clarify what each person should submit.
- Make the deadline concrete. “来週中” (sometime next week), “次回までに,” and “早めに” (soon) may not identify a date. Ask for the actual day when timing matters. “目安” is a target, but still worth discussing if you expect to miss it.
- Check what counts as done. Do you need to draft, review, approve or only share a document? Note the file location and recipient. A task such as “資料確認” may mean checking content, numbers or just access; ask which.
- Correct errors promptly. If your name, the decision or the due date differs from your understanding, reply politely to the note taker or organizer. Point to the exact line and propose a correction rather than silently ignoring it.
Short Japanese replies
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 議事録の共有ありがとうございます。私の担当は資料の初稿作成で合っていますか。 | Gijiroku no kyōyū arigatō gozaimasu. Watashi no tantō wa shiryō no shokō sakusei de atte imasu ka. | Thank you for sharing the notes. Am I responsible for the first draft of the materials? |
| 「次回までに」の具体的な期限を確認させてください。 | “Jikai made ni” no gutaiteki na kigen o kakunin sasete kudasai. | Could I confirm the exact deadline for “by the next meeting”? |
| この件は決定事項でしょうか、それとも継続検討でしょうか。 | Kono ken wa kettei jikō deshō ka, sore tomo keizoku kentō deshō ka. | Was this decided, or is it still under discussion? |
| 担当者の記載について、一点修正をお願いします。 | Tantōsha no kisai ni tsuite, itten shūsei o onegai shimasu. | Please correct one point concerning the listed owner. |
| 〇日までに初稿を共有します。確認先は〇〇さんでよろしいでしょうか。 | 〇-nichi made ni shokō o kyōyū shimasu. Kakunin-saki wa 〇〇-san de yoroshii deshō ka. | I will share a first draft by [date]. Should I send it to [name] for review? |
| 期限に間に合わない見込みです。〇日への変更を相談できますか。 | Kigen ni maniawanai mikomi desu. 〇-nichi e no henkō o sōdan dekimasu ka. | I expect to miss the deadline. Could we discuss moving it to [date]? |
Example: “対応事項：案内文の初稿作成／担当：田中さん／期限：10月8日” assigns Tanaka the first draft of the announcement by October 8. It does not say that the announcement has final approval. If the notes require formal approval, check the status and reviewer separately; our approval status guide explains 承認待ち and 差戻し. Before a meeting, the meeting invitation guide helps with attendance and preparation. For the broader path through workplace messages, pay and records, see our Working in Japan guide.
