Linking Language, Trade and Migration: Economic Partnership Agreements as Language Policy in Japan

Series Editor Foreword
Language Policy Book Series: Our Aims and Approach
Preface
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
	1.1 Introduction
		1.1.1 Why Trade Policy?
		1.1.2 Why Language in Trade Policy?
		1.1.3 Why the Economic Partnership Agreement?
		1.1.4 Structure of the Book
	References
Chapter 2: Trade Policy as a Language Policy
	2.1 The Economic Partnership Agreement
	2.2 Historical Background
	2.3 Eligibility
	2.4 Quotas
	2.5 Recruitment, Screening and Matching
	2.6 Pre-Employment Training
	2.7 On-the-Job Training
	2.8 Exam Preparation
	2.9 Educational and Financial Assistance
	2.10 The National Licensure Examinations
	2.11 Summary
	References
Chapter 3: Policy Discourses in the EPA Programme
	3.1 Introduction
	3.2 General Trend of the EPA Research
	3.3 Language Ideologies in the Existing EPA Research
		3.3.1 The Undue Focus on Language Acquisition
		3.3.2 The Dominance of Standard Japanese
		3.3.3 The Uncritical Reference to JLPT
	3.4 Language Policy and Planning for the EPA Programme
	3.5 Policy Texts
	3.6 Summary
	References
Chapter 4: Policy Actors and Goals in Negotiation
	4.1 Introduction
	4.2 Roles, Participation, and Relationships
		4.2.1 Governmental Agencies: Visible Policy Actors
		4.2.2 Training Providers: Invisible Yet Influential Policy Actors
		4.2.3 Vocal Sectoral Organisations
		4.2.4 Inconspicuous Japanese Language Educators
		4.2.5 Agentive Host Institutions
		4.2.6 Deprived Participation: Candidates as Objects and Commodity
	4.3 Goals
		4.3.1 The EPA Programme as a Workforce Recruitment Policy
		4.3.2 The EPA Programme as an Internationalisation Policy
		4.3.3 The EPA Programme as a Humanitarian Foreign-Aid Policy
		4.3.4 The EPA Programme as a Cultural/Linguistic Outreach Policy
	4.4 Summary
	References
Chapter 5: Language Training as a Site of Language Policy Creation, Interpretation and Appropriation
	5.1 Introduction
	5.2 Triviality of Language
	5.3 Double Monolingualism
	5.4 Ignorance of Local Varieties
	5.5 The Monopoly of Standard Japanese in the Training Context
		5.5.1 The Making of Good Learners
		5.5.2 Ideology of Maximum Exposure
		5.5.3 Native-Speaker Ideologies and/or Shifting Responsibility?
		5.5.4 Candidates’ Japanese Language Ability Under Fire
	5.6 Summary
	References
Chapter 6: (Re) Marking the Boundaries: Language Policy as a Process
	6.1 The Examinations under Investigation
	6.2 JLPT as Jack-of-All-Trades
	6.3 The Exam Advisory Panels: Overview
		6.3.1 Structural Features: Sequence, Discussant, and Scheduling
		6.3.2 Fair Examination for Whom?
		6.3.3 Examination as a Sacred Cow
		6.3.4 Exam Reforms as a Threat to Japan’s Fame and Healthcare Quality
	6.4 Dismissing the Progressive Reform Idea
		6.4.1 (Not) Translating National Licensure Examinations
		6.4.2 Discrediting the Use of a Communication Skills Test: Two Discursive Moves
			Ignoring and Undermining the Potential of Communication Skills Tests
			Drawing a Boundary Between Professional Communication and General Communication
	6.5 We Don’t Accommodate you
	6.6 The Examination Reforms Thereafter
	6.7 Summary
	References
Chapter 7: Challenges and Prospects for the EPA Programme: Implications for Japan’s Language Policy and the Discipline of Language Policy and Planning
	7.1 Introduction
	7.2 A Stream of Change: Carework and Japan’s Labour Migration
	7.3 The EPA Effect?: Language Research and Testing
	7.4 The Future of the EPA Programme
	7.5 The Future of Language Policy Studies: Tie-in Language Policy and Language Policy Arbiter
	7.6 Conclusion
	References