Making English More Accessible: Bizmates Expands 'Opportunities to Engage with English' via New interfm Segment

Bizmates, Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Nobuaki Suzuki; hereinafter 'the Company'), which operates the business-specialized online English conversation service 'Bizmates,' will launch a new segment titled 'It’s My Life' (hereinafter 'the Segment') on the new interfm program 'TEENAGE FUN-CLUB' (starting April 4, 2026, every Saturday from 19:00 to 20:00). The segment will feature Hika Ito, a Director and co-founder of the Company.

In this segment, we will take English phrases found in music, movies, and quotes from famous people as a starting point to unravel the background and nuances of the phrases, introducing them as practical English that can be used in daily life and business scenes. The 10-minute segment will be broadcast on interfm and distributed via radiko and podcasts, allowing listeners to easily tune in from their smartphones at any time, not just in real-time. This will expand opportunities to engage with English, making it more accessible.

As globalization progresses, the importance of English proficiency continues to rise. However, English proficiency in Japan remains at a low level in international comparisons, with recent surveys by the international education organization EF ranking it 92nd in the world, highlighting significant challenges. Given this background, increasing opportunities to encounter English in daily life is considered crucial for improving the English proficiency of Japanese people.

This segment will be developed through interfm broadcasts. interfm has a wide reach, covering approximately 43.5 million people mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and the radio distribution service 'radiko' has approximately 8.5 million monthly users. By combining these with podcast distribution, we will create an environment where more people can encounter English regardless of time or place.

The segment is approximately 10 minutes long and will pick up English phrases from diverse cultures such as music, movies, and quotes from famous people, explaining their backgrounds and nuances. Furthermore, by introducing specific usage methods in business scenes as well as daily conversation, we are reconstructing English as an expression that can actually be used. Leveraging the characteristics of audio media, we provide a new touchpoint where people can comfortably encounter English even during 'while-time,' such as while commuting.

Additionally, the featured speaker, Hika Ito, a Director and co-founder of the Company, is a second-generation Japanese-Canadian. In addition to his experience as an English instructor, he has been involved in the development of business English teaching materials and corporate training, and currently oversees the foundation of material design, instructor training, and quality control at Bizmates. Based on this expertise, he will introduce practical English expressions.

With the mission of 'helping more business people succeed globally,' the Company supports the acquisition of 'usable English' and 'conveyable English' in business scenes through the business-specialized online English conversation service 'Bizmates.'

Through this segment, we will contribute to the promotion of globalization among Japanese people by creating opportunities for learning, making English more familiar, and lowering the psychological hurdles to English learning.