QUESTION :
One of our functional requirements at work require running a piece of software over a Japanese environment — which means we’ll have to set up a Japanese flavor of Windows for the job.
Question is, can we just patch our Windows Vista/7 with Japanese MUI language packs for this? Are there any significant functionality differences between the English and Japanese versions of Vista/7 that forces us to perform a clean install of a Japanese Windows OS instead of just patching an English one?
ANSWER :
It is as simple as downloading additional MUIs, the easiest way is to install them as optional updates from Windows Update.
However, a limitation is that additional language packs are only available on Enterprise and Ultimate editions.
As for downsides, the only one I can think of is that you may have to learn Japanese!