Background and Significance of Language Reform in Relation to Democratization in Japan

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  • 日本民主化における言語改革の背景と意義

Abstract

This paper examines the political aspects of language reform during the US occupation in Japan. The General Headquarters of the Allied Forces (GHQ) sought to promote language reform because it perceived the intricacies of the Japanese language system as an obstacle to obtaining information necessary for democratization. Of particular concern was the problem that Japanese people struggled to comprehend democratization-related information. Therefore, GHQ identified literacy as the ability to read and comprehend newspapers and the Constitution. However, the language reform ended up being a partial reform rather than a drastic one such as Romanization, as the occupation regime stabilized and democracy expanded, the dissemination of information for democratization decreased. The focus of the "Japanese Reading and Writing Ability Survey" consequently shifted toward determining the minimum skills required for social life. On the other hand, simplification of the language, such as reducing the use of Chinese characters, facilitated people's access to information. Voluntary initiatives on the part of the Japanese to colloquialize the emperor's words and laws in consideration of GHQ's intentions may have further accelerated the movement toward democratization.

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