Language Support for Immigrants in Japan - by Keiko Hattori & Makiko Shinya & Kurie Otachi Hardcover

About the Book

Book Synopsis

This volume adopts a community-based approach to language learning in order to argue for the creation of inclusive and equitable language policies in Japan.

Review Quotes

Language education for immigrants and refugees in Japan is key for improving life chances and fostering community development, but research and support for second language education has been scarce and scattered. This excellent book traces how a new immigration and Japanese language teaching regime has emerged and features expert accounts on shifting ideologies, policy developments, and educational practices. The result is engaged but thoughtful, comprehensive but with attention to detail, and critical but optimistic. Language Support for Immigrants in Japan is a must-read for anyone interested in immigration and second language teaching in Japan.

Language Support for Immigrants in Japan clearly identifies the major issues and limitations of the current situation in Japan and engages the key question of how immigration, language education, and the local community intersect, interact, and mutually transform each other. This book should be essential reading for people who are interested in immigration policy and language support, especially in Japan.

This book is a timely and invaluable addition to the descriptive research on community-based efforts to provide Japanese-language instruction to foreign residents. The contributors, from scholars to on-the-ground actors, lucidly make the case for moving past the ad hoc to a language education policy that is more coherent and immigrant-centered. English readers will have at hand a work with a solid range of detailed, nuanced perspectives that discuss the missteps, challenges, and promises of this key facet of Japan's emergent multiculturalism.

This volume--the outcome of longstanding engaged scholarship--not only critically examines policy but is deeply committed to practice and gives voice to a whole range of actors involved, including immigrants themselves.

About the Author

Keiko Hattori is professor of biology-oriented science and technology at Kindai University
Kurie Otachi is professorof organization for educational support and international affairs at Tottori University
Makiko Shinya is professorof international studies at Osaka Sangyo University