Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERMENT POLICICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1994 > PART II Chapter 9 Section 4 1

Languages change in step with social change and shifts in people's attitudes to language. The Japanese language is also changing, and the government's policy toward the Japanese language must be adapted to ensure that it remains appropriate.

The National Language Council, which consists of experts and specialists in this field, deliberates on matters relating to Japanese orthography. Its reports are implemented through cabinet notifications and directives. The council's current recommendations are incorporated in "Usage of Declensional Kana Endings" (1973), "Table of Chinese Characters in Common Use (Joyo Kanji Hyo)" (1981), "Contemporary Kana Usage" (1986), and "Orthographic Rendering of Foreign Words" (1991). The scope of these recommendations is limited to general community life, including laws, public documents, newspapers, magazines, and broadcasts. The council has clearly stated that it has no intention of dictating orthography for specialized fields, such as science, technology, and the arts, or individuals. Traditionally the council's recommendations were restrictive and encouraged uniformity. The present approach is more flexible, however, and recommendations are characterized as "guidelines" or "reference points."

In November 1993 the Minister of Education, Science and Culture asked the twentieth National Language Council to conduct an inquiry on approaches to Japanese language policy to meet the needs of a new era. The council is progressively studying aspects of this inquiry, which encompasses all issues relating to the Japanese language.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs is responding to wide public interest in language-related issues by publishing the Language Series of booklets explaining these issues in simple terms through commentary and questions and answers. It is also producing Toward Beautiful and Rich Usage of the Japanese Language, a series of videotapes that use audiovisual effects to describe efforts to enhance the beauty and richness of the Japanese language.

Since fiscal 1993 the Agency has been holding discussion sessions on Japanese language policy. The aims of this program are to inform the public about reports from the National Language Council and to obtain the views of regional experts. Meanwhile, the National Language Research Institute is conducting research and surveys on contemporary language, the linguistic behavior of the Japanese people, regional and generational changes in the Japanese language, and Japanese language education for both Japanese and non-Japanese. In fiscal 1994 the institute began to invite foreign researchers to participate in joint research.