Japanese Bilinguals--the Problems of Identity and Education
Bilingualism is still a relatively unexplored
area of research in Japan. However, it is no longer an area that
can be ignored especially because of the educational problems which it
entails. The issue of bilingualism in Japan covers a variety of different
1) Japanese children who have spent a period of their childhood in
a foreign country, not through their own choice, but because of their parents'
transfer to a foreign country,
2) adolescents and young adults who have opted to go abroad on their
3) children of Japanese descent whose parents have returned to Japan,
either permanently or temporarily, as well as
4) children of foreign residents living in Japan.
The problem, of course, is that not all the children are able
to adapt to their new environment, and a significant factor seems to be
related to the issue of identity. The presentation will deal
with several factors related to this problem of identity, and will address
some educational issues which must be considered.
Kensaku Yoshida is a professor in the Department of English
Language and Studies, as well as the director of the Center for the Teaching
of Foreign Languages in General Education at Sophia University, Tokyo,
Japan. His main areas of interest are in TEFL/TESL, bilingualism,
and intercultural communication. He has published extensively and
has lectured widely on these topics both in Japan and elsewhere.
He is well-known in Japan for having been the moderator of the 'Engish
Conversation I' television program from 1988 to 1993, as well as the commentator
for the 'Practice for the TOEFL Test' television program from 1994