The "Englishization" of a Japanese company

TOKYO — Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani decided two years ago that the employees at his company, Rakuten Inc., should work almost entirely in English.
The idea, he said, was a daring and drastic attempt to counter Japan’s shrinking place in the world. “Japanese people think it’s so difficult to speak English,” Mikitani said. “But we need to break the shell.”

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-inc-tests-a-survival-strategy-english/2012/08/06/443a45e6-c8e0-11e1-b7dd-ef7ef87186df_story.html?tid=pm_world_pop