English in Japan

Abstract

This chapter surveys the state and status of English in Japan by focusing both on how it exists as a semiotic resource in society, and also on how its presence as cultural concept is felt throughout life in the country, particularly in its context as the preeminent global language of the present era. Before bringing the survey of English-related initiatives and developments up to date, it is worth first outlining a complex of prevailing ideologies which structure much of the discussion of and approach to language policy in the country. Returning to the recent history of English in Japan, reforms and initiatives in education and language policy since the Nakasone era continued to enhance the role of English in the country, with a particular move toward positioning it as an international language of communication. The use of the English-derived vocabulary fulfills several functions, including, importantly, an invocation of the cultural connotations of English.

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