Multinational Multilingualism on the Internet: The use of Japanese on corporate Web sites

This study investigates factors associated with the use of Japanese on the Web sites of 362 non-Japanese companies listed on the Fortune Global 500. The results showed that business to consumer (B2C) firms were more likely to offer Japanese than those in business to business (B2B). Companies in the financial services sector did not tend to have Japanese on their sites. B2C service firms (e.g., retailers) were less likely to adapt to Japan's market than the others. Only 35% of the companies with subsidiaries or offices in Japan offered Japanese. This group, not surprisingly, was more likely to provide information in its host country's language. The study's findings indicate that international market factors and the economics of language act in tandem to affect the Internet multilingualism strategies of multinationals.