The Changing Social Functions of Easy Japanese in Japan: An Area Studies Perspective

Wang Kainan

Liaoning University of International Business and Economics

Abstract：

Easy Japanese (Yasashii Nihongo) emerged from disaster communication practices in Japan and was initially developed to help foreign residents with limited Japanese proficiency obtain evacuation and emergency information. As the number of foreign residents in Japan has increased and policies promoting multicultural coexistence have developed, the use of Easy Japanese has expanded, and its social functions have changed accordingly. This study examines these changes from three perspectives: contexts of use, target users, and responsibility for communication. The findings suggest that the development of Easy Japanese can be broadly divided into three stages: ensuring access to disaster information, supporting communication in local communities, and institutionalization in public communication. These functions have not replaced one another but have expanded from the original role of disaster communication. At the same time, responsibility for communication has gradually shifted from an emphasis on improving foreign residents’ Japanese proficiency toward greater responsibility on the part of information providers and the host society. These changes reflect adjustments in public communication in Japan in response to the growing foreign resident population.

Key Words：

easy Japanese; area studies; sociolinguistics; multicultural coexistence; Japanese society