Hitachi expects...all its employees to be able to speack English 

 -  2002 
<br/><br/> This article is based on "Business people confront the English divide", which originally appeared in Focus Japan. July-August 2001. It is published with the kind permission of the Japan External Trade Organization. The article describes the attempts being made by a numaber of Japanese companies to improve the English-language proficiency of their employees. It explains how this has become a particularly important issue in Japan because the ending of the traditional "jobs for life" system means that each individual's progress is more linked to his or her skills. The article raises some concerns about how useful language tests are in assessing a person's overall competence in a language. The article contains much to interest anyone involved in international business, and particularly those who regularly do business with the Japanese multinationals 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>Foreign Languages<br/>Multinationals<br/>International Business<br/>Employee Development
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Geographic Terms: </label><br/>Japan