1. How Rakuten's business
in English
S1180100
Hiroki Sato

2. What is Rakuten
Rakuten is a Japanese electronic commerce
and Internet company based in Tokyo,
Japan. Among its numerous online
properties, its flagship B2B2C (business-to
-business-to-consumer) model e-commerce
site Rakuten Ichiba is the largest
e-commerce site in Japan and among the
world’s largest by sales.

3. Rakuten adopt English
Internet shopping mall operator Rakuten,
Inc. surprised the public by announcing
early this year it will make English its
official language by 2012.

4. Adoption of English background
(1)
Board meetings and weekly allcompany
meetings have been in English since
March, and President Hiroshi Mikitani
has said board members who cannot
speak English by the deadline will be
fired.
⇨

5. Adoption of English background
(2)
The Rakuten group has 6,000 employees
globally, of whom about 400 are
non-Japanese, spokesman Naoki Mizushima
said. The firm does not track how many
non-Japanese it has in Japan, while the 16
board members at its headquarters in Tokyo
are all Japanese, he said.

6. Influence by adopting English
Japanese companies looking to expand
their overseas sales don’t deny the merit
of having employees proficient in English,
but none has gone as far as to require their
Japanese employees to speak English to
other Japanese employees. Experts are
unsure if Rakuten’s ploy will succeed,
saying it depends entirely on employee
commitment.

7. English is used in Rakuten
English is hard to miss at a typical
Rakuten office. It is used for employee
ID cards, floor guidance in the elevator
and on the menus at company cafeterias.
Rakuten uses English on its website for
Rakuten employees.

8. Rakuten's actions for English
Rakuten has invested in English lessons,
time off to study and a system of both
rewards and demotions to push its English
policy. That tough approach to learning
will be helpful in the real world of
international business, where, to be
competitive, employees need to be able to
work directly in English ? not rely on
translators, dictionaries or a few
English-speaking specialists.

9. Rakuten's plan in English
A proactive English policy is a clear sighted
and practical step toward a better workforce.
Forcing employees to be competent in
English means that employees can
communicate comfortably and fulfill all
their work requirements in English. Japan
needs more employees who can engage in
productive activity without hesitation or
nervousness because of weak English
communication skills.

10. References
⇨ http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/work/teac
hing-in-japan/2010/07/20/rakutens-deci
sion-on-english-not-welcomed/
⇨ http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/work/teac
hing-in-japan/2010/07/20/rakutens-deci
sion-on-english-not-welcomed/
⇨ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed201
20708a1.html
⇨ http://japandailypress.com/at-rakuten-
inc-only-english-language-works-025646