{"id":1646,"date":"2026-06-15T05:59:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T05:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicationmakeover.com\/?p=1646"},"modified":"2026-06-15T07:41:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T07:41:58","slug":"global-readiness-japanese-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicationmakeover.com\/en\/global-readiness-japanese-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond English: How Japanese Professionals Become Global Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For more than a decade, Japan has invested heavily in developing what policymakers often call “global talent.” Much of the discussion has focused on English proficiency. The underlying assumption seems straightforward. Stronger English skills lead to greater success in international environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent survey of 43 young Japanese professionals who had been assigned overseas before the age of 30 offers a different perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked which competencies were most important for success as a global professional, the top responses were adaptability, flexibility, initiative, problem-solving ability, and communication skills.<\/strong> English appeared on the list, but it ranked sixth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, I have worked with many Japanese managers preparing for global roles. In our training or coaching sessions, it is common to hear concerns about English ability. Many worry that they cannot express themselves clearly enough, or they just don\u2019t know enough vocabulary. \u2018If only my English were better,\u2019 is the phrase I frequently hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That may be true to some extent. Yet I often sensed they were struggling just as much with how to provide context and explain their ideas to someone from a completely different culture. They felt that their English ability was the bottleneck, even when they were repeatedly running into communication challenges rooted in assumptions, expectations, and ways of thinking that had little to do with language itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That observation aligns closely with another interesting finding from the survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers found that perceptions of global competence changed depending on how long participants had worked overseas.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n