Internationalization strategies in Japan The dilemmas and possibilities of study abroad programs using English

In the past few decades, new governmental efforts to internationalize Japanese higher education have been in progress. One move has been to provide assistance to study abroad programs using English as the language of instruction. Though seen as an effective internationalization strategy, the consequences are by no means culturally neutral. This article focuses on the critical case of the University of Tokyo, the oldest national university in Japan. Analyzing the first four years of the implementation of English-medium lectures, the article analyzes the consequences, especially the cultural dilemmas that arise alongside the adoption of a foreign language - English - as the medium of instruction.