| Sumario: | This monograph examines Japan’s Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam as a form of language policy rather than solely trade agreements. Using the framework of Language Policy and Planning (LPP), it critiques how EPA policymaking reinforces Japan’s monolingual status quo by privileging Japanese language proficiency, particularly through the uncritical adoption of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, while neglecting alternative approaches. The book highlights how EPA candidates are positioned to uphold existing power structures, limiting intercultural communication and progressive reform in migration and language education policies. It also discusses the implications of defining Japanese language skills as either general or occupation-specific for migrant workers, emphasizing the uneven support migrants receive across different migration channels.
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