Selecting English as its official language was not easy for Nissan Motor Co., but it helped facilitate a smooth tieup with Renault SA of France, Nissan Chairman Yoshikazu Hanawa said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.

Hanawa was speaking at "English and the Japanese Company" -- a symposium conducted in Japanese on Nov. 13 and organized by The Ogasawara Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Engineering and cosponsored by The Japan Times and Nifco Inc.

Nissan used to be a "completely domestic company" with only a limited number of employees capable of speaking English, he said.