“Deftly avoiding both the zealous idealism of the policymaker and the cynical realism of the practitioner, the contributions to this volume offer empirically grounded, culturally nuanced analyses of university internationalisation in practice. Recommended reading for anyone interested in Japanese higher education today, and a fine example of how to blend engaging ‘insider’ stories with rigorous scholarly analysis.” – Jeremy Breaden, PhD (Melbourne), Lecturer in Japanese Studies, School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, Monash University “An excellent timely publication! This book brings together critical insights and multi-dimensional understandings of internationalization, and international and intercultural practices in Japanese higher education. It will be an important sourcebook, a must-read for all interested in Japanese higher education and internationalization. It will certainly raise the bar of competencies and knowledge of the field.” – Terri Kim, PhD (London), Reader in Comparative Higher Education, Leader of the Higher Education Research Group, University of East London

In International Education Policy in Japan in an Age of Globalisation and Risk, Robert Aspinall analyses the ways in which Japanese government policies on English language education and the promotion of Study Abroad have been implemented in schools and universities.

In International Education Policy in Japan in an Age of Globalisation and Risk, Robert Aspinall analyses the ways in which Japanese government policies on English language education and the promotion of Study Abroad have been implemented in schools and universities throughout Japan. The disjuncture between the aims of policy and the realities on the ground faced by individual teachers and students is explored in detail. Education policy designed to help to prepare Japan for the challenges of globalisation constantly comes up against institutional inertia, norms of teaching and learning, and concepts of national culture that obstruct the mastering of foreign languages or the acceptance of cultural, ethnic or linguistic diversity.

This book sets out to uncover and discuss the curricular, pedagogical as well as cultural-political issues relating to ideological contradictions inherent in the adoption of English as medium of instruction in Japanese education. Situating the Japanese adoption of EMI in contradicting discourses of outward globalization and inward Japaneseness, the book critiques the current trend, in which EMI merely serves as an ornamental and promotional function rather than a robust educational intervention.

Language education is a highly contested arena within any nation and one that arouses an array of sentiments and identity conflicts. What languages, or what varieties of a language, are to be taught and learned, and how? By whom, for whom, for what purposes and in what contexts? Such questions concern not only policy makers but also teachers, parents, students, as well as businesspeople, politicians, and other social actors. For Japan, a nation state with ideologies of national identity strongly tied to language, these issues have long been of particular concern. This volume presents the cacophony of voices in the field of language education in contemporary Japan, with its focus on English language education. It explores the complex and intricate relationships between the “local” and the “global,” and more specifically the links between the levels of policy, educational institutions, classrooms, and the individual. In the much-contested field of foreign language teaching in Japan, this book takes the reader directly to the places that really matter. With the help of expert guides in the fields of anthropology, sociology and linguistics, we are invited to join a vital discussion about the potentially revolutionary implications of the Japanese government’s policy of teaching Japanese citizens to not only passively engage with written English texts but to actually use English as a means of global communication.” – Robert Aspinall, PhD (Oxford), Professor, Faculty of Economics, Department of Social Systems, Shiga University, Japan This insightful book about language education involves different disciplines using ethnographic methods. Both ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ speakers of Japanese (or English) collaboratively examine two different types of qualitative approaches in Japan – the positivistic and the processual. This is a must-have book for researchers and educators of language who are interested in not only Japan but also language education generally.” – Shinji Sato, PhD (Columbia), Director of the Japanese Language Program, Department of East Asian Studies, Princeton University, USA.

A welcome addition to any reading list for those interested in contemporary Japanese society. - Roger Goodman, Nissan Professor of Modern Japanese Society, University of Oxford "I know no better book for an accessible and up-to-date introduction to this complex subject than The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japan Studies." - Hiroko Takeda, Associate Professor, Organization for Global Japanese Studies, University of Tokyo "Pioneering and nuanced in analysis, yet highly accessible and engaging in style." - Yoshio Sugimoto, Emeritus Professor, La Trobe University The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japanese Studies includes outstanding contributions from a diverse group of leading academics from across the globe. This volume is designed to serve as a major interdisciplinary reference work and a seminal text, both rigorous and accessible, to assist students and scholars in understanding one of the major nations of the world. James D. Babb is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University.

English-Medium Instruction in Japanese Higher Education provides a touchstone for higher education practitioners, researchers and policy makers. It enables readers to more clearly understand why policies concerning English-medium instruction (EMI) are in place in Japan, how EMI is being implemented, what challenges are being addressed and what the impacts of EMI may be. The volume situates EMI within Japan’s current policy context and examines the experiences of its stakeholders. The chapters are written by scholars and practitioners who have direct involvement with EMI in Japanese higher education. They look at EMI from perspectives that include policy planning, program design, marketing and classroom practice.