Japanese language firm that surged 1,093% eyes new biz

A Japanese language school whose stock soared almost 12-fold last year is planning to expand into new businesses as its chief executive officer tries to keep the rally alive. RareJob Inc., a Tokyo-based online English conversation school that uses teachers in the Philippines, will focus on areas including leadership training and job placement, Gaku Nakamura, the company's founder and chief executive officer, said in an interview. Nakamura said one of his goals is to boost the company's market value to ¥100 billion ($922 million) from its current level of about ¥25 billion. RareJob surged 1,093% in 2019, the second-best performance in Japan's Mothers market of smaller shares, after it surprised investors by saying earnings would jump. Analysts -- and history -- suggest it will be difficult to keep up those gains after the company's valuation exceeded 100 times estimated profit.