This paper attempts to illustrate, through example, the qualitative market research experience in Japan within the context of international research coordination/management. There are typically three frameworks for organizing international qualitative research: Centralized coordination by a research agency with local agencies responsible for fieldwork and analysis of findings. Centralized coordination by a research agency with local agencies responsible only for fieldwork (central coordinating researcher observes all groups and carries out analysis and reporting). No coordinating agency. The client commissions the local research agencies directly. Local researcher is responsible for fieldwork and analysis of findings. Within each basic framework there are a number of possible players, for example, foreign clients, local clients, foreign creative people, local creative people, the moderator, a local research coordinator, etc.