Gung Ho

Gung Ho. 1986 Paramount Pictures.
Starring: Michael Keaton, Gedde Wantanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers, John Turturro, Clint Howard, Michelle Johnson
Director: Ron Howard
Available at Amazon as a two-fer with Jimmy Hollywood.

An auto plant in a Pennsylvania town which supplied most of the local jobs has been closed for nearly a year. The former foreman, Hunt Stevenson (Keaton), goes to Japan to convince the Assan Motors Corporation to reopen the factory. Assan agrees, taking advantage of a desperate work force to make a lot of changes (no union, lower wages, no fixed positions, impossibly high standards of quality and efficiency). Also, the Americans do not understand the culture of the Japanese executives, who eat lunch with chopsticks, and bathe together in a nearby river. They also do not understand why they, as a group, are to do calisthenics every morning. Immediately, the rehired workers start displaying a poor work ethic.

Oishi Kazihiro (Watanabe) is the new plant executive who's been a failure his whole business career since he is too lenient on his workers, and has one more chance to redeem himself by making the plant a success. His first move is to give Hunt a large promotion on the condition that he work as a liaison between Japanese management and the American workers. More concerned with keeping his promotion instead of the welfare of his fellow workers, Hunt tries everything he can to trick the Americans into compliance, but the culture clash proves too great.

So, it's up to Hunt to find a way to ease the tensions, placate his workers, and ultimately keep the plant from being shut down again.

Recommended movie.