Abstract

This chapter is an introductory overview on language policy and planning (LPP), one of the well-established sociolinguistic disciplines in Japan. The theoretical development of LPP in general has moved through the periods of hope and critique, characterized with uncritical assumptions behind early LPP projects in the 1960s, and the renewed understanding of and heightened reflection about LPP practices and the resultant socio-political consequences from the 1970s onward. Such a conceptual change is also observed in Japanese sociolinguistics. Classical LPP projects were and (to some extent are still being) undertaken under the banner of modernization, unification and democratization of the nation. In response, critical LPP scholars challenge assumptions taken for granted in the classical orientation and focus on issues that had been undervalued and ignored such as the interaction between language and historical, socio-political and economic conditions. The new-wave LPP tradition is then highlighted as an emerging approach that encourages researchers to examine language policy processes and its surrounding climate. This chapter concludes with a call for research adopting the new-wave approach, entailing a set of research practices that help us exercise constant reflection to be/stay not only a moral and ethical researcher but also a critical researcher who engages in the discovery of alternative understanding of the world.