In a bid to make their companies more competitive in the global marketplace, a number of business are requiring their staff to speak English at work.
The latest is Sharp Corporation, whose headquarters are in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The electronics company, which is a subsidiary of iPhone assembler Hon Hai, has plans to expand abroad and its chief executive is quoted as saying it wants to “transform the Sharp brand from one that is Japan-centric to a global brand”.
Other Japanese companies who have made English their company’s official language include Rakuten Inc, the e-commerce giant, and Fast Retailing Company, which runs clothing brand Uniqlo.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
