Leading business executives and scholars gathered Friday in Tokyo to discuss what constitutes a "globally useful Japanese," and how individuals of this kind may be nurtured at businesses.

In terms of key qualities that should be possessed by successful global managers, forum panelists cited agility and flexibility in responding appropriately to fast-changing and varied environments, as well as a good command of foreign languages, especially English.

Yoshikazu Hanawa, honorary chairman of Nissan Motor Co., said in his keynote speech that Nissan became a "global company" in the true sense of the word when it became an affiliate of French automaker Renault SA in 1999.