Englishnization: Not Just for Rakuten Anymore

When I announced my plan to make English the official language of my Tokyo-based company, a lot of people said I was crazy. At least one fellow Japanese businessman said I was stupid. But three years later, it’s clear to me that “Englishnization” works. And I am not the only one who has noticed.

Recently, Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone announced it will make a gradual transition to English as its official language in an effort to be “truly global” said Chief Executive Officer Masaaki Tsuya. English, he told reporters in a briefing, will be especially important to younger employees who want to move up the corporate ladder.

Bridgestone joins Rakuten and Fast Retailing, Asia’s biggest clothing chain and parent company of Uniqlo as a Japanese company making English its language of business. Although we remain a tiny minority, we are making an impact through our actions join the global power companies in communicating in English.

Englishnization has already helped Rakuten. It has made us better able to collaborate and innovate with our partners around the world. It has made us a more attractive workplace to the world’s best and brightest employees. It has been an intellectual challenge for all of us internally, pushing many of us to study and acquire these new skills. Scores on English language exams continue to rise at Rakuten and I am always hearing stories of new ways Rakuten employees are finding to improve their English skills.

Englishnization has a long way to go before it is fully adopted by the business world. I am proud Rakuten is leading this transformation to a robust global conversation. When we can all communicate easily and quickly, the world will only benefit.