This paper examines the prominence of written English on shop signs in Japan. Based on data from a larger empirical study into multilingual signs in Tokyo, the most common ways of using English and the roman alphabet on Japanese shops signs are identified. It is argued that the ambivalent nature of English loan words plays a key role in the ever…

Examines the use of English in Japanese business communication. Finds that English is an important element of Japanese international business policy and that an awareness of both Japanese corporate commitment to employee English proficiency and of the complexities of the use of English for special purposes benefits business communicators involved…