Company managers, educators and journalists met Tuesday at a forum in Tokyo to discuss the English language's influence in business, and the possibility of making it an official language in the Japanese corporate world.

Yoichi Funabashi, chief diplomatic correspondent and columnist at the Asahi Shimbun, blamed the low English-literacy level of Japanese people on their reluctance to learn about other cultures, feelings of shame, and their difficulty in opening up to people.

Funabashi made the remark at a symposium titled "English and Japanese Companies," which was held at a hotel in Chiyoda Ward. The event was organized by The Ogasawara Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Engineering and was supported by The Japan Times.

Funabashi has repeatedly argued that the poor English ability of Japanese has adversely affected national interests.

However, he conceded, "It is also important to protect our own language, which is often misused."

Yoshikazu Hanawa, chairman of Nissan Motor Co., described how a "completely domestic company" such as his has developed an environment where everyone has accepted the use of English.

According to Hanawa, the level of English used at Nissan is still not very high. However, as the French staff's English skills are also not perfect, Hanawa said, it is all right as long as the staff understand each other and get along.

Following the two key note speeches by Funabashi and Hanawa, eight panelists and two coordinators from various fields held discussions under the titles: "English Education in Companies and its Future Expectations," and "How English Changed Business Styles in Japanese Companies."

A detailed report on the symposium will be published next week.