Globalization has changed the way Japanese companies manage their operations. Honda, has chosen English as the official language at its global meetings.

Honda CEO Takanobu Ito made the change early this year and informed global employees in April, said John Mendel, executive vice president of Honda’s U.S. sales unit, at the LA Auto Show.

“Imagine the shock sent through the operation. The CEO stands up and says, ‘All discussions about global operations will be conducted in English and oh, by the way, if you don’t understand it, get an interpreter,’”

Honda isn’t the first Japanese automaker to switch to English for its global meetings. Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault, implemented a similar policy at Nissan more than 10 years ago.