Examining language support practices in both formal and nonformal education, ranging from public night school to community-based language classes, this volume encourages the development of systems in Japan that foster equitable and inclusive language policies.

Despite Japan's long-held reputation as an ethnically homogeneous country largely closed to foreigners, the number of immigrants in Japan has been increasing, partially as a direct result of government policies to address labor shortages associated with Japan's aging and declining population. What have these changes meant for Japan as a nation, as well as for foreign communities living in Japan? With contributions from a diverse group of thirteen scholars representing five academic discipl...