PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture
Chapter 8 Promotion of Culture
5 Policies Concerning the Japanese Language, Copyright and Religious Affairs
(1) Enhancement of Policies on the Japanese Language
The national language constitutes the very basis of national
culture. If the nation is to further develop and improve its society and create
and transmit its culture, the Government is required to carry out appropriate
national language policies corresponding to the changing times. For this reason,
the Agency has been formulating and implementing national language policies on
the basis of careful and impartial deliberations by the national Language Council,
which is composed of members who are renowned experts in the national language.
In 1992, the Council made an interim progress report on its deliberations entitled "Various
Issues regarding Modern Japanese," (June 1992). The Agency annually publishes
a booklet entitled "Usage of the Japanese Language" and it annually produces
a video-tape entitled "Towards the Beautiful and Rich Usage of the Japanese Language." The
agency produces these for the purpose of disseminating policies on the national
language. The National Language Research Institute has been conducting various
scientific studies related to the Japanese language, as well as studies regarding
the teaching of the Japanese language as a second language. The Institute also
provides in-service training for teachers of the Japanese language.