Rakuten is planning to make English its official corporate language by 2012. As a large Japanese company with over 6,000 global employees and operations in other countries, Rakuten believes adopting English will help it better communicate internationally and understand global business trends. However, requiring strong English skills could disadvantage some long-term Japanese employees without sufficient language abilities from advancing in the company. The document discusses Rakuten's reasons for the change to English and some of the potential challenges it presents.

1. How Rakuten is planning
to run their entire
business in English?
s1190096

2. Contents
・Introduction
・Rakuten's official Language to English
・Background of the News
・Background of the News(2)
・Rakuten's Works
・Demerit of Shift to English
・Conclusion
・Reference

3. Introduction
・Recently, Rakuten's make greater inroads in
the world more than before.
・And Rakuten's are very popular internet
shopping.
・So, I interested the work of Rakuten's
business and why Rakuten is shopping to run
work in English.

4. Rakuten's official language to
English
・This is the news that Rakuten decided to
make English is official language by 2012.
・Now, Rakuten's cafeteria menus using
English.
・All internal meetings will be in English whether
foreigners are present or not.

5. Background of the News
・The Rakuten group has 6,000 employees
globally, of whom about 400 are non-Japanese.
・Rakuten thinks Japanese industrial sector
should wake up to the imperative of English
proficiency.

6. Background of the News(2)
・And they think Japanese businesses will not
be able to grasp what is going on in the world
unless they have a skill of English
・Rakuten has also acquired foreign companies
in the United States, and it has a major in a
joint venture with Baidu Inc.in China.

7. Rakuten's Work
・Rakuten employees are under a lot of
pressure to learn English.
・After the switch-over to English, must not
using Japanese at meetings.

8. Conclusion
・I knew why Rakuten's run that make official
language in English.
・I understand that Rakuten's looking to expand
their overseas sales.

9. Demerit of Shift to English
・There has been a flurry of case in which
employees with a good track record have not
been promoted to managerial positions.
・That reason, simply due to a lack of English
skills, a requirement for moving up the
corporate ladder.

10. Reference
•http://www.japantimes.co.
jp/text/nn20100726f1.html
•http://ajw.asahi.
com/article/economy/business/AJ20120630006
4
•http://hbr.org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-
english/ar/1