� 1 Increased Expectations for the Promotion of Culture, and Cultural Policy
4. Future Directions of Cultural Policy
(6) Promotion of policy concerning the Japanese language
Words and expressions change along transitions in the social context and concurrent changes in the linguistic consciousness of the speakers, and the language of a nation thus evolves with the passage of time. An effective national language policy must adequately recognize and deal with this evolution. In June 1993, the National Language Council presented a report entitled "Various Problems Concerning Contemporary Japanese Language" to the Minister of Education, Science and Culture. The topics indicated in this report are scheduled for detailed discussion during the Council's 20th session which will begin in November 1993 and in future sessions thereafter.
Due to recent developments on the global scene, there has been a marked increase in the number of individuals residing outside and inside of Japan who desire to acquire a knowledge of the Japanese language. Not only3re the numbers increasing. but the motives for learning Japanese are becoming more diverse. To meet these needs, it is necessary to update and improve the infrastructure for teaching the Japanese language, by improving content and teaching methods as a basic first step, followed by the training of Japanese language teachers, research and development of teaching methods and materials, improving the quality of Japanese language institutions and the administering of a "Japanese Language Proficiency Test", among other measures.
