Abstract:
Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is closely linked with other national agendas, such as the promotion of Japanese culture and tradition inside and outside Japan within the framework of internationalisation. This paper examines the mechanisms of implementation and maintenance of policy agendas for TEFL, and explores how TEFL is being used in the reproduction of specific social values. First, the Courses of Study, which are produced by the government in order to set curriculum standards for secondary school education, will examined to identify how TEFL is located and organised. Second, this paper looks at how school textbooks for English have been controlled under the Ministerial textbook authorisation system.