Impact of globalization on Japanese language and culture

Globalization 世 界 化 leaves no stone unturned. As current globalization seems to demand comprehensive transformation of a society, its impact on language and culture can be detected in every facet of life. The global economy has been influencing traditional values and ways of thinking for a long time. The concept of the global village has changed the outlook of future society. In Japan, ‘internationalization’ 国際化 has been a powerful slogan promoted by the government and supported by society, without much in-depth scrutiny as to what it actually entails, who is pushing this process, for whom, what constitutes internationalization, or whose values are being advocated. Observing the ongoing process of the formation of the EU, it appears that main stream cultures, such as French and German may remain dominant; but many fear that the remaining cultures might be marginalized in the end. For Japan and many other nations, globalization is equated with North Americanization. When one looks at the rampant use of English loan words in Japanese, for example, it is almost impossible to live in Japan without knowing English. This process of internationalization has proceeded at the expense of a loss of Japanese culture and identity among young people. Japan can be said to be witnessing the marginalization 周縁化 of Japanese culture in the name of globalization. The main objective of this paper is to identify recent phenomena that reveal some deep-rooted changes in Japanese culture and language in that context.