127

シンジ ム

How Does ‘Globalism’ Affect Japanese English Education and Should It?,
KANEL, Kim（KINDAI UNIVERSIRY）

At the symposium for the 26th Annual Convention of the Japan Association for
Studies in English Communication held at Kindai University on October 14, 2017, thepanelists discussed various questions on the main the topic:“How Does ‘Globalism’

Affect Japanese English Education And Should It?”
Questions were put not only to the symposium panelists but also to theapproximately 100 Japanese and foreign participants in attendance. The first mainquestion was: What is the difference between グ ロ ー バ ル (Global) and的(International) in the Japanese language? About half the participants first felt

的related mostly to socio-cultural issues, and グローバル was more for business oreconomics. However, participants later added more subjective descriptions of the two.
グローバル was viewed more as a concept that implied more openness to other cultures,and pathway to communication.

的, conversely, seemed to connote an English/

Western-only view. In the end, with no clear-cut definition decided upon, participants
concluded that グローバル is largely a rebranding of的, and that the use of suchforeign words is fashionable.
After this introductory activity, which included reports from the various groups in
the audience, the panelists went on to explain in more detail their own views and thoseof their institutions. After each panelist discussed a particular topic the others would
respond, give their own views and then move onto the next question.
What follows are summaries of the panelists remarks, observations andconclusions.

12

シンジ ム

ム EMI English-medium instruction
English as a lingua franca

ー-- ELF学ーロッ

アジアにえ

日本の教育においてするプログラム（EMI: English Medium Instruction 大ないにおいて英語

教

EMI プログラムが2000

代にの教学）の後 2008の業なが導入れたことは向にの大学EMI は （１）といつの目的（Supplement, QSの 10のしよ と果に与する）を大学の（用が言語られているに英語力を目指す

一の成果をについてはま
上 のよ ならめて重要学がれていない

がるいは学

しかしながら こからの学

業後に日本
EMI を

一

会のは語

トップクラスのるいは EMI

外ングを含めた外力）をすの

アジアののスピー

はがなグローバル（imagined community）を上

現はなした理のとに起因している

え語る英語 が現

ピーら

イ

ブスピー

上のコミュニル

かからムに日本の EMI の教にはアングローの言語的な ELF用イブス用の一（ELF:れの日本

学は EMIのはになっているにの EFL（English as a foreign language）

教育ま
向にとらはの英語教育をとらえているこ

English as a lingua franca, e.g. Jenkins 2015）になっていることが にアジアになっている ま

学の導入ることの意の日本

ラルな理ン

する

したる

リーの英語とはの英語力）については 日本

するに学グローバル化の力（とのきるはアジアする用するか （の英語と現の大した力を要（TOEFL, IELTS

受がている2014）とする目学を目指した大学入日本

関学

またにとってき （文学成Times Higher Education

ングい日本語用をいかに）日本

ラン語としていないる英語力の向上は日本ののをし 英語をの業（大学ーグローバル大学

英語による授業のると （１）についてはに日本語な ）な学の点るの業は N1

田大学

化にはスーはしている2004

れ（向をえに英語

成外からのcf. Dearden 2014）がこと業） 2014

ットのークの第一言語が英語れたグローバル 30（に化のためのコースが一る

授業を行の

英語を指導言語とにはいイ

している（Iino

1 0飯and Murata 2016）
理後グローバリし 日本における英語教育の野公

一

ムの用ををアジアのコン クストのすることが められている

References
Dearden, J. 2014. English as a Medium of Instruction: A Growing Global Phenomenon:

Phase 1. London: The British Council.
Iino, M. and K. Murata. 2016. Dynamics of ELF communication in an English-medium
academic context in Japan: From EFL learners to ELF users. In K. Murata (ed.)

Exploring ELF in Japanese Academic and Business Contexts: Conceptualization,
Research and Pedagogic Implications. Abingdon: Routledge. pp. 111-131.
Jenkins, J. 2015. Repositioning English and multilingualism in English as a lingua
franca. Englishes in Practice 2/3: 49-85.
文学バル化に

2014

後の英語教育のした英語教育のについてつの報（要）

グロー

言

http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chousa/shotou/102/houkoku/attach/1352463.
htm（accessed 19 July 2018）

1 1

シンジ ムIs Japan Ready or Willing to Become ‘Global’?
KITZMAN, Alison（KINDAI UNIVERSIRY）

Globalism, as it has come to mean, can be defined as integrating smaller markets
into larger, regional ones. Both globalism, as a business and economic philosophy, andEnglish, as a second language, gained dominance and flourished at the turn of the 21st
century with the rise of the computer-based information and networking age. This has
affected not only local business, but also local culture – but is it always for the best?
In Japanese, globalism is used in its foreign-indicating katakana form, グローバリムhaving a similar meaning to the original English. However, in a proof-of-life

example of globalism dominating the native, the adjectival form of the word, グローバ
ル , has taken over the Japanese word ,的, or international.

Though universities throughout Japan have increased their educational exchanges
and boast new International Studies departments, Japan itself has not demonstrated avery global outlook. Japan ranked 2017 IMD World Talent Ranking 51st out of 63
countries on its scale of attracting foreign management, researchers, and skilledworkers. While the IMD reports that foreign talent in Japan feel safe with a highstandard of living, its rankings show Japan’s failure at exactly that which makes a place
truly international:xsenior management international experience – 63rdx

language skills and ability to communicate – 59thx

an environment with and for highly skilled foreign workers established – 51stx

inbound foreign exchange students – 45thx

female participation in the labor force – 45th

A further indicator of the lack of globalism is the lack of cultural and educational
exchanges. In 2016, 19% of Japanese took trips abroad (JTB 2018). During that same
period, rates in neighboring South Korea were 43% (KTO 2018). Similarly, the numberof student exchanges out of Japan has dropped significantly. According to the Instituteof International Education, from 1994 to 1998, Japan had the highest number ofstudents going abroad to study in the world, peaking at 47,000 students. Various
economic factors may account for Japan’s steady decline to eighth with only.00015% of
its student-population studying abroad in 2016/2017. Again, to compare our neighbors,
South Korea had four times as many equaling .0012% of its population. Further, theJapanese ranked 41st out of 49 countries for TOEIC scores even though English is often

KITZMAN, Alison

1 2

required for university or job entry. If societal support for globalism, international
exchange, and English really existed, then each of these indicators should be higher.
Ikeda (2016) compiled a list of reasons why Japan may not be as global or feel theneed for English proficiency as other countries might. Each of these conflict with theintent of グローバリ

ム and English language learning.

xJapan was never a colony.

xJapan is economically independent.

xJapan is inward-looking and culturally homogenous.

xJapanese is not related to English. linguisticallyxJapan is an island with no English-speaking countries nearby.

x

English is not required nor is it considered useful within the society.

xEnglish education focuses inward and uses outdated methodologies.

There are several issues with the concept of and English in Japanese education.
First, English for university and job entry is unrelated to the actual life or job skills
Japanese society requires. Second, English is pushed to the detriment of other usefulforeign languages, including important Asian languages such as Chinese or Korean.
Asia is not seen as valuable. This calls into questions cultural identity. Japanesealready has replaced a large number of native words with English-katakana. That
Japan or Japanese may lose or shift its cultural identity scares some, which may cause
a cultural and or economic contraction – the opposite of globalism. Further, the systemof English education is reliant on external motivation going so far as to push students
away from this skill.
As there is no clear benefit to becoming proficient in English, why not allow
internally motivated students to become truly proficient in English, or anotherlanguage? This then can propel the economy toward true globalism without thehegemony of English and with the respect for native Japanese. As it is, we have settled
on English mediocrity that holds the country as a whole back. We educators need toreflect on the meaning of グローバル and how English can better suit Japanese society
and its needs. There is undeniable value in having a country and an economy that is
global, and that will continue for the foreseeable future. However, there needs to be afocusing of resources if Japan is to navigate the global society of the future.
References and Further Reading2017 IMD World Talent Ranking, Lausanne, Switzerland: Institute for ManagementDevelopment, November 2017.
Ikeda, Makoto, A Third Revolution in ELT?: CLIL As a Methodology for Competency-Based

Language Education, 2016 JALT College and University Educators National Conference,
Higashiosaka; September 24, 2016

Is Japan Ready or Willing to Become ‘Global’?

1Japanese Outbound Tourism Statistics, JTB Tourism and Research Consulting, Retrieved
May 1, 2018, https://www.tourism.jp/en/tourism-database/stats/outbound/

Korea, Monthly Statistics of Tourism, Korea Tourism Organization, Retrieved May 1,
2018, https://kto.visitkorea.or.kr/eng/tourismStatics/keyFacts/KoreaMonthlyStatistics/
eng/inout/inout.kto