چکیده (انگلیسی):

Many have heard about the declining and aging Japanese population but fewer are aware of its implications on immigration. According to UN estimates, immigration has to be at 650,000 per year to counteract the negative effects. This means that most of the Japanese will be living and working alongside foreigners in the near future. English language education in Japan has not been very successful. Although the communicative approach was introduced in the 1980s, schools still use the grammar translation method and most Japanese do not have the communicative skills necessary for interacting with foreigners. Government rhetoric has also been hesitant in encouraging the learning of English. The Japanese language or national identity is often emphasised when English is promoted. The government sees English as a threat to Japanese and Japanese identity. This paper uses the case study of the Singaporean Chinese to reassure the Japanese that unlike in the Singaporean case, risks of a language and values shift due to English are relatively low.