Advantages and Disadvantages of English in Japanese Business

This essay explores the modern corporate idea of English as the single language for business in Japan, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of its implementation. It examines the experiences of companies like Rakuten and Uniqlo, highlighting how English facilitates better communication, networking, and global growth. The essay discusses the benefits of a common language in the workplace, such as reduced misunderstandings and increased employee confidence. However, it also acknowledges potential drawbacks, including intercultural variations and the need for language training. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of English for Japanese businesses to thrive in the globalized world, offering a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and opportunities associated with this language shift.

ESSAY

Table of Contents
USE OF ENGLISH FOR JAPANESE ORGANISATIONS ..........................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

USE OF ENGLISH FOR JAPANESE ORGANISATIONS
Businesses are where the entrepreneurs need to build relationships for their survival. The
ability to speak the same language as your co-workers and customers could create a better form
of communication that would lead to strong relationships. Learning to understand English
facilitates the entrepreneurs for better networking of individuals. They won't be able to cope up
with the communication at international level and will fail to grow their businesses as a part of
globalization, in case if they are unable to communicate in English (Internet Billboards, 2015).
These days, English is mandating and becoming the most common language in the world (EF
English Live, 2015). English for business communication aims to develop English language
skills specific to the professional working environment. This essay will discuss the modern
corporate idea of English the single language for business in Japan. To do so, this essay outlines
the advantages and disadvantages of working in English compulsory organisation in Japan such
as Rakuten and Uniqlo.
Companies in Japan are popular for their most technological products with high edge
qualities and they are loved by the customers in other countries. Japanese countries have been
frequently focusing on growing with a global approach and serving the customers of foreign too.
This couldn't have been possible if Japan had not accepted English as a communicational tool to
connect with the governments and leading firms in various counties. Nowadays, English have
been formalized as the official language in certain multi-national companies in Japan and now
other companies have been involved in similar discussions in accepting this step for their global
growth. The organizationally accepted language, English, have been not only a part of
communication at international level but the companies have been discussing on making English
the language of internal communication too (Oulu Business School, 2014).
Hiroshi Mikitani, the CEO of Rakuten, Japan's largest online marketplace also announced
English as the official language of his organization in front of the media. According to the
article, Mikitani is aiming for his Internet Service Company to become the world number one. In
addition, he believes that the new policy, which would affect 7100 employees in Japan, are
chasing the dreams of achievement of the company's growth and plans of expansion on a global
basis, mostly out of Japan. He realized the responsibility of contribution of growth and
development of his own country in serving other nations' customers to satisfy their needs.
(Harvard Business Review, 2012).

The advantages of mandating English in business in Japan are numerous and evident.
One of the advantages of having English as the single organisational language is that employees
could talk with each other in a common language. An employee would not need either
translations or interpreters; they could understand each other fast. In addition, they could
understand detail nuance such as metaphor. This also represents a potential in decrease
misunderstandings between customers and employees, although if customers and employees talk
the same language, we often still get the wrong impression (Lang-8, 2012).
Making English the single business language could make both customers and employees
feel more confident and change their attitudes towards business. People in a workplace tend to
ignore the more complicated internal dimension that confidence suggests. This is where human
becomes inspired, opening the door to enthusiasm for more dynamic forms of learning (Real
Life, 2017). Not just practising, but also learning and gaining confidence is a great opportunity
for learning about the world, widening their horizons and increasing social development as an
employee could interact with co-workers and customers working in business, and not just to
communicate more easily with people in business, but also co-workers and customers could
understand each other better. Speaking more than one language will give best practice of benefits
in today’s globalized world (The English Language Centre, 2016).
Even though English is mandating in almost all in some business in Japan, there are
couple of disadvantages that would need to be discuss. It is assumed that , within the next
decade, the population of the non-native English speakers is expected to reach 3 billion, and will
be exceeding the population of those native English speaker, whose speak English as their
mother tongue. As the native English speakers and the ones who learned it from the years of
struggles in order to improve their performance, there is a basic and major gap which is based
on the intercultural variations amongst the English speaker who use different English. These
variations could create some major gap that could lead to certain negative effects on the
organizations at global levels (Relocation Source, 2016).
There have been several debates on the topic of English and its state in Japan. Mikitani
made it sure that all of his employees would be able to perform their major tasks in the business
by 2012. Rakuten have been successful in making many major international deals including the
acquisition of the online major seller Ebay and a partnership with the Chinese search engine
Baidu in order to set up an online retail site. The Fast Retailing, an operator of Uniglo discount

stores of clothing, has also made it compulsory to include at least one native English speaker in
their meetings, who could organize all meetings in English (Mutantfrog, 2010).
Rakuten has been sending their senior level executive officers to United Kingdom and
United States for their full language immersion training. Language training programs are allotted
to employees in Philippines which would stretch up to a week (Harvard Business Review, 2012).
As on the job training is considered to be a significant part to improve the employees' skills and
knowledge, similarly the learning to speak English is also an important part of the profession to
grow the organization globally. Even though all of the Japanese businessmen would be able to
catch up with the language, but the workplaces that wishes to progress does definitely have a
grip on the globally accepted language. Japan has to officially offer the acceptance of English as
an organizational language in case of their development and growth is a goal (Mutantfrog, 2010).

REFERENCES
EF English Live. (2015). How English Became the Global Language. Retrieved from
https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/english-became-global-language/
Harvard Business Review. (2012). Global Business Speaks English. Retrieved from
https://hbr.org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english
Lang 8. (2012). What would be the advantages and disadvantages of having one world language.
Retrieved from
http://lang-8.com/1377/journals/1643116
Mutantfrog Travelogue. (2010). English necessary for today’s Japanese workers? Retrieved from
http://www.mutantfrog.com/2010/07/09/english-necessary-for-todays-japanese-workers/
Project Syndicate. (2016). Japan’s New Business Language. Retrieved from
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/english-vital-for-japanese-businesses-by-hiroshi-
mikitani-2016-04
Real Life. (2017). Why confidence is the key to English fluency or any language. Retrieved from
http://reallifeglobal.com/why-confidence-is-the-key-to-english-fluency-or-any-language/
Relocation Source. (2016). The disadvantage of using the English language in the global
business world. Retrieved from
http://www.relocationsrc.com/rsrcen-media-story-207329
The English Language Centre. (2016). What are the proven advantages of speaking English and
being bilingual. Retrieved from
http://www.elc-brighton.co.uk/blog/what-are-the-proven-advantages-of-speaking-english-and-
being-bilingual/