English as a multicultural language: implications from a study of Japan's junior high schools' English language textbooks

Abstract Applying Kachru and Nelson's model of English spread and their categorisation into Inner/Outer/Expanding Circles, this content analysis of English as a Foreign Language textbooks used in Japanese junior high schools investigates which countries were introduced and further studies how Japan's domestic diversity was constructed in those textbooks. Furthermore, to scrutinise representations of Japan's domestic diversity, this study examines what types of individual located in Japan were represented in the textbooks. The concepts of race and ethnic relations in a global context will be discussed to understand representations of individuals. Drawing upon the concept of English as a multicultural language, this study suggests that this multicultural perspective would not only promote understanding varieties of English use in Asian contexts but would also help educators and students recognise the internal diversity of Japan where multilingual and multicultural communication takes place.