Compulsory 'foreign language activities' in Japanese primary schools

From 2011, the new curriculum for introducing English to Japanese primary schools will be fully implemented in the form of 'foreign language activities'. This innovation forms part of the government's plan to cultivate 'Japanese with English abilities', a development based on the awareness, particularly in the business sector, that equipping Japanese citizens with English skills is imperative if Japan is to remain competitive in the international market. Although Teaching English as a Foreign Language has been a key element of Japan's internationalisation and one of the most hotly debated educational issues in Japan since the 1980s, the new curriculum is not a straightforward matter of early education in foreign language acquisition. Using critical discourse analysis as a methodological tool, this study analyses language policy documents, including the Course of Study for primary schools and junior high schools, to argue that it is rather an elaborate scheme to foster a particular attitude towards communication with foreigners by emphasising the differences between foreign languages and cultures and Japanese language and culture in the name of international understanding.