English is considered to be the current international language of our modern world. It is being integrated into the daily lives of non-native English speaking countries across the globe and Japan is no exception. Though the language was never traditionally spoken in Japan, today there is a high demand for all things English. Perhaps this is because, according to JNTO statistics, approximately 21% of all visitors to Japan in 2004 (1,345,000 out of 6,137,000) were native English speakers so the Japanese Government has promoted English to raise tourism revenue, or perhaps it is due to the close ties Japan maintains with the United States or perhaps it is even because English is the current dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, diplomacy and entertainment; the point is that many Japanese people, especially in big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, have a strong desire to learn English.

Because of these factors English has a very strong presence in Japan today. Primarily, most signs, though written in Japanese have English translations. Street signs, area maps, train directions, post offices, banks and other public offices are no exceptions to this phenomenon. Tokyo Metro has even had bilingual ads about train manners on all its trains since 2005 and other railway companies, such as Japan Rail, have followed suit.

Apart from this most Japanese government websites offer bilingual information. The National Tax Agency, Statistics Bureau and Self Defence Force websites, not to mention many prefectural and municipal government websites all have both Japanese and English versions. Private companies are now beginning to follow this trend too

On the media front, movies in Japanese cinemas are usually presented in their original versions with subtitles rather than being dubbed while the national television channel NHK offers many bilingual programs. And in terms of hard copy, most major Japanese newspapers e.g. the Ashai and Yomiuri, offer both Japanese and English (information http://www.japanmediareview.com/japan/wiki/Shimbunwiki/).

With respect to education, English is a compulsory subject in most elementary, junior high and high schools and, as a result, most Japanese people have studied English for at least 6 years. However, today many parents actually start their children’s’ English education from age 5 or 6, sometimes before, at one of the many language schools across the country.

In conclusion, as time has gone by, Japan has moved from being the relatively closed country it was after World War II to being a country open to new languages, new culture and new experiences; and the English language has had a great influence on instigating this change. Apart from the fact that, as aforementioned, we are faced with English in most areas of Japanese modern life from directions and signs, to websites, business, the media and education systems; today, Japan has more private English schools per square meter than anywhere else in the world.

These language schools are places where people go to learn the basic language skills needed to be able to travel to foreign countries, conduct business in international markets and even communicate with their foreign friends in Japan. Thus, the English trend has been set in motion, picking up speed as it gains popularity and strength in all the aforementioned aspects of Japanese life. Though it hasn’t fully reached the outlying, country areas yet, perhaps in time, as media and popular culture spread, English will have a regular place in most Japanese households, or schools across the country.

Rebekah Scott