Taking blame though I'm not at fault Got transferred to Tokyo by my company, and the trains are late almost everyday. When trains are late in the morning we send an email stating that we'll be late. Customarily we end the mail with "" Writing it like this feels like I'm taking the blame for something totally out of my control. Can I place the blame where it actually belongs, ending with something like "JR"?

Japanese people say and even when they are not to blame. As long as you adequately describe the situation, no one will think you are to blame. Likewise, when a Japanese person says , , or _I'm sorry_ , you should not take it for granted that they admitted a fault. Saying JR in this situation sounds funny at least.

After all, JR East is saying all the time even when the company is not to blame at all. If heavy snow stopped a train, a conductor usually says . If someone jumped in front of a train, the company says . That's what JR East is expected to say as a reliable company, and that's also what you are expected to say as a responsible businessperson.