Bridgestone adopts English as a corporate language

In its 2013 medium-term plan, Bridgestone Corporation reported its intention to implement English as an official company language. This measure was also discussed by company CEO Masaaki Tsuya at a press briefing held in Tokyo on 16 October; he said the step was been taken as part of the 2013MTP plan of becoming “truly global”.

“We think this is the right way to go,” Bloomberg Businessweek reported Tsuya as saying. “Especially for our young employees, we’re going to tell them that English is a must if they want to move up the ladder.”

But what’s good for younger employees doesn’t necessarily apply to those already occupying the top rung: Bloomberg noted that Tsuya conducted the briefing in Japanese, with no English interpreter on hand.