Earlier this year, the Forum on 21st Century Japan, a private panel to the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, proposed a national debate on whether English should be used in Japan as a second official language. That proposal has added fuel to the long-standing discussions on English education in this country.
Economically speaking, making English Japan's official language is like conducting its trade transactions entirely in dollars. Yen-based transactions reflect the growth of the nation's economic power. They are preferable to dollar-based transactions because they reduce exchange-rate risks. That is why the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, among others, is encouraging yen-denominated trading.
Languages are closely intertwined with national economies. The recent increase in the number of Japanese-language students in countries such as Australia, Indonesia, South Korea and China attests to Japan's status as the world's second-largest economy. As more foreigners become familiar with the Japanese language, the sense of Japan's economic and political presence in the world will increase.