Japan loosens its collar.

Aiming for a more open and competitive culture, Japanese companies are telling workers to drop traditional Japanese formality at work. "To call someone 'president' is to deify him," says Yukio Sakamoto, president of a Tokyo technology firm. "It's part of Japan's hierarchical society. Now, that has no meaning." The shift mirrors profound changes in Japan. Many parents no longer emphasize honorific language, called keigo, to their children, and most schools no longer expect pupils to use it in addressing teachers. The Japanese language has long taken account of social standing. While French speakers choose between the familiar tu and the formal vous in addressing someone, in Japanese, there are many ways to say "I" or "you," depending on age, circumstance, gender, and social position. Now, companies hope the use of san--a less formal title of respect added to surnames--will allow workers to exchange ideas more freely and make decisions more quickly.