As the title implies, this thesis observes problems that occur when translating polite expressions from Japanese to Croatian language. The aim is to present the differences, but also similarities, between Croatian and Japanese politeness and to show some common problems when translating politeness between the two languages, along with examples of solutions. In the first part of the thesis, basic politeness theories in the West and Japan are presented and explained, followed by a short explanation of politeness strategies in Croatian and Japanese, respectively. Finally, some common problems in translation were shown on the example of a Japanese e-mail translated into Croatian by several different translators, and the thesis demonstrates how different translators interpret the text differently, how each translator faced the problems in the text, how they solved it and what was lost in the translation. Translation between these two languages requires not only a solid knowledge of the Japanese language, especially grammatical structures and keigo but also a good knowledge of the Croatian language to successfully use equivalent terms for a successful and natural-sounding translation. The Japanese language has more clearly defined levels of politeness, allowing specificity and shows the speaker's position in relation to the hearer and the situation, while Croatian doesn't have as clearly defined politeness levels, allowing greater freedom of expression, less limited by societal and language norms for expressing politeness. Naturally, these two different and in a way conflicting ways of expressing politeness cause problems in translation because translating into Croatian risks losing specificity shown in Japanese polite expression, but on the other hand increases specificity in other situations like gender or number, which are not always explicit in the Japanese original.