
Can we make it official? Language in the age of Trump.
Among the many things he has done since retaking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a 大統領令 (daitōryō-rei, executive order) making English the official language of the United States.
While more than 30 U.S. states have already taken similar steps, this marks the first time in history that the country will have a national language recognized at the federal level — and a good opportunity to look at how all of this 'translates' into Japanese.
At the heart of the discussion is the term 公用語 (kōyōgo, official language). The situation in the U.S. has been comparable to that in Japan, as neither country specifies an official language in its 憲法 (kenpō, constitution). The closest equivalent in Japan is article 74 of the 裁判所法 (saibansho-hō, Court Act), which simply states: 裁判所では、日本語を用いる (Saibansho dewa Nihongo o mochiiru, In court, Japanese is used).
The two countries are also comparable in that both have a 事実上公用語 (jijitsujō kōyōgo) or de facto official language. This is a common situation worldwide, particularly in countries where one language is clearly dominant. As with English in the U.S. and Japanese in Japan, there is often little need to make that language 法律上公用語 (hōritsujō kōyōgo, a de jure official language). Enter Trump 2.0.
As for Japan, the dominant role of Japanese can easily be understood from a widely discussed proposal by former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi that recently marked its 25th anniversary. In January 2000, Obuchi suggested that English be granted the status of 第二公用語 (daini kōyōgo, second official language). Though this bold proposal never gained much traction, the very idea of having a 'second' official language implies the existence of a 'first' — Japanese, right?
But Japanese is not Japanese. A somewhat confusing distinction exists between 国語 (kokugo, the national language) and 日本語 (Nihongo, Japanese). Both essentially refer to the same thing, the Japanese language, but differ based on who is learning it.
The subject in which children attending a Japanese school are instructed is called 国語, whereas all non-native learners learn 日本語. This difference is also reflected in the two expressions 国語教育 (kokugo kyōiku, national language education) and 日本語教育 (Nihongo kyōiku, Japanese language education).
Signs around Tokyo are increasingly translated into English, Chinese and Korean script. |
PETER BACKHAUS
Put somewhat roughly, 国語 is understood to be reserved for natives, whereas 日本語 is for everyone else. Now the good news is that there are no recognizable differences in pronunciation, grammar or vocabulary between the two. So don't worry: If you properly know日本語, you shouldn't have any problems communicating with native speakers.
Speaking of which, the idea of tying a language to a place is also embedded in the term 母国語 (bokokugo), which literally translates as 'motherland tongue.' However, since your mother (and, hopefully, father) is arguably more important in early language acquisition than your country, many people now prefer the term 母語 (bogo, mother tongue), not just because it's shorter.
A similar option applies when counting languages. If you speak two of them, and are therefore バイリンガル (bairingaru, bilingual), you can either include the idea of 'nation' by calling them 二か国語 (ni-kakokugo, literally 'two countries' languages') or omit it and simply say2言語 (ni gengo, two languages).
The concept of 国語 has increasingly come under pressure due to its underlying assumption of a 'one nation, one language' model. Imported from 19th-century Europe, it was considered a necessary component for modernization and nation-building by language planners in Meiji Japan. Subsequent policies codified and promoted a standard language, or 標準語 (hyōjungo), based on the dialect spoken in and around Tokyo, at the expense of other linguistic varieties; monolingualism became the order of the day.
Fast forward to Reiwa Japan and the situation couldn't be more different. Since the 1980s, administrative agencies at both the national and local levels have been actively working to make Japan a more multilingual society. This push was initially driven by the arrival of foreign workers during the height of the bubble economy, followed by major sporting events such as the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which — though ultimately held without live audiences due to COVID-19 — had already prompted extensive preparations for multilingual accessibility. More recently, the surge in inbound tourism has further accelerated efforts to provide information in languages other than Japanese.
The umbrella term for these initiatives is 言語サービス (gengo sābisu, language services). These include multilingual consultation hours, guidebooks and other printed materials, multilingual signage and public transportation announcements and a wide range of language support on the internet. The most commonly available 使用言語 (shiyōgengo, languages used) are English, Chinese and Korean, but there are many others depending on the medium, location and level of necessity.
And this is where Japan's trajectory diverges from that of the United States under Trump's second term. While his recent executive order signals a push toward linguistic homogeneity, Japan has moved in the opposite direction by becoming increasingly multilingual. And so far, no Trump-like figure has emerged to reverse this course.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Japan Times
25 minutes ago
- Japan Times
The MAGA odd couple turns combustible
Relationship status: It's complicated. The simmering feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and tech titan Elon Musk has gone public, sending Tesla's stock tumbling then rebounding, calling his government contracts into question and leaving Trump possibly in a more commanding position over the world's richest man. But really, who knows what to make of this always-odd pairing between two erratic men? Late Thursday, Musk signaled he was open to a detente. Reports of a Friday phone call surfaced and were then dismissed by Trump, and all against the backdrop of pleadings from a MAGA world riven by the prospect of their leaders turning on each other. Yet little is permanent in Trump world, except for chaos and disruption. Where this goes from here and how it ends is anyone's guess, but what's clear is that the political friendship that saw two of the world's most powerful men attached at the hip at the beginning of Trump's presidency has now become an unstable mess. This, of course, is no way to run a country. The daylong brawl starkly revealed what had always been plainly obvious: This relationship is transactional and has always smelled of corruption, with Musk's $270 million campaign contribution buying him a powerful foothold in the government, including billions in contracts and access to data and the inner workings of federal agencies. It was only last week that Trump gifted Musk with a golden key to the White House, saying his "service to America has been without comparison in modern history' and commemorating his final day as a special government employee. But that send-off couldn't paper over the increasing cracks in the friendship. Musk had become a political liability to Trump, even as the president became a business liability to the world's richest man. The union has cost Musk billions, damaging his brand and leading him to suggest he was done with politics. "I think I've done enough,' Musk said in a Bloomberg interview last month when asked about his political spending on Trump and the Republican cause. The billionaire, who operates the Building America's Future PAC, had vowed to spend $100 million on the midterms, though that's now in doubt. And in ceding such power to Musk, Trump marred the first 100 days of his presidency with erratic cuts, mistakes and walk-backs that led to infighting among staff and cabinet members who couldn't control Musk. His Department of Government Efficiency was largely a failure, with costs likely outweighing savings, federal spending continuing to rise and the Trump administration now undoing some of DOGE's firings. In the days after his official tenure wrapped up, Musk then proved just how uncontrollable he was, training his fire on Trump's massive reconciliation bill, calling it an "abomination.' "In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,' Musk, the wannabe kingmaker, threatened on X on Tuesday. But the feud has the potential to be as damaging to both men as their unlikely friendship proved to be. At stake for Trump is the kind of muscle, megaphone and money that only Musk can bring, given his status among the powerful techno right bros who fueled Trump's campaign and the GOP more broadly. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk wrote on X. "Such ingratitude.' Most of Trump's political alliances have had a sell-by date, but his relationship with Musk has been like no other. For Trump, Musk was a force multiplier, magnifying his stature and bringing other billionaires, tech bros and regular bros along with him. But in challenging Trump, and particularly by bringing up his connection to Jeffrey Epstein, Musk tests his power over MAGA and puts himself — and his companies — at risk of canceled contracts and potentially even federal government investigations. Trump holds tremendous power over Musk's vast wealth. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' This was scorched earth, revealing Trump's strong hand and Musk's big weakness. Ultimately, MAGA belongs to Trump. As for the massive bill, it will still likely pass in some form, though Musk has now put a spotlight on the worst parts of it — it adds $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade and is hardly MAGA. Meanwhile, some Democrats have suggested that Musk is a potential free agent and should be courted and brought into the fold. But that would be a mistake. An alliance with Musk is akin to having a tiger by its tail in a very small and crowded tent. There are no good choices and the only certainty is chaos. Nia-Malika Henderson is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion.


Asahi Shimbun
an hour ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Ishiba, Lee share hopes for early meeting in first phone talks
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters following the election of Lee Jae-myung as South Korean president on June 4. (Takeshi Iwashita) Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and newly elected South Korean President Lee Jae-myung agreed on the need for improved ties between their respective nations as they talked on the telephone on June 9. According to a Japanese government statement, the two leaders shared 'hopes for an early opportunity for a face-to-face meeting.' It was the first time that Lee, who assumed the presidency on June 4, and Ishiba have held talks. During the conversation that lasted for about 25 minutes from noon, Ishiba and Lee agreed on the importance of Japan-South Korea relations and cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea. They also confirmed that Japan-South Korea relations should be developed in a stable manner. Ishiba told Lee that he 'would like to work closely (with Seoul) in dealing with North Korea, including the abduction issue of Japanese nationals by North Korea,' according to the Japanese government. According to an announcement by the Office of the President of South Korea, the two leaders agreed to create a more solid and mature relationship between the two countries based on mutual respect and trust. Lee also stressed that Japan-Korea relations are becoming more important in today's strategic environment, and expressed hope that the two countries will respond to challenges together from the perspective of mutual national interests and seek a direction in which they can coexist in harmony. It was the second time that Lee has held phone talks with a foreign leader, following U.S. President Donald Trump on the evening of June 6. Ishiba and Lee are scheduled to attend the Group of Seven summit in Canada on June 15-17, and may hold their first face-to-face meeting as early as this occasion. (This article was written by Kei Kobayashi, and correspondent Akihiko Kaise.)


Nikkei Asia
an hour ago
- Nikkei Asia
South Korea's new president agrees to strengthen ties with Tokyo
STEVEN BOROWIEC SEOUL -- South Korea's new president spoke by phone with his Japanese counterpart on Monday, agreeing to work toward stronger bilateral ties and three-way cooperation with their shared ally, the U.S. The office of President Lee Jae-myung said in a release that Lee had a telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba that lasted around 25 minutes. In their talk, Lee and Ishiba agreed to work toward more "mature" bilateral relations "based on mutual respect and trust," Lee's office said.