A study by Professor Miki Shibata at Hiroshima University, published in the International Journal of Multilingualism, examines how multilingual international students in English-taught programs in Japan navigate language use and develop a sense of belonging in the academic community. The findings offer insights into the challenges of multilingual communication and the development of more inclusive learning environments.
(Hiroshima University)
Hiroshima University
A new study by Miki Shibata, professor at Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, reveals a key paradox in Japan’s English-medium higher education: official English instruction coexists with local peer expectations that drive classroom interactions back into Japanese.
The study was published in the International Journal of Multilingualism on July 3, 2026.
By evaluating how international students manage multilingual and multicultural settings in Japanese English-Taught Programs (ETPs), Shibata demonstrates the impact of power dynamics, language ideologies, and individual agency on student identity. These findings offer practical insights to enhance international student support, build critical language awareness among domestic peers, and advance equitable internationalization in higher education.
This dynamic has emerged against the backdrop of a major push for higher education internationalization in Japan. Under the 300,000 International Students Plan, the government set a target of 300,000 foreign students by 2020. To achieve this goal, the government launched major initiatives, including the Global 30 Project and the Top Global University Project. As a result, international student enrollment reached 312,214 by 2019 (93 percent from Asia) ahead of schedule. By 2022, over 40 percent of Japanese universities offered undergraduate English-medium instruction (EMI) courses, and 6 percent offered full-degree English-taught programs (ETPs).
Despite this rapid growth, research on English-medium instruction in Japan focuses primary on domestic students, while studies on international students remain limited. Furthermore, most global research on international students originates from Anglophone countries, where English dominates both inside and outside the classroom. In contrast, ETPs in Japan place international students in a dual linguistic environment: English is used in class, but Japanese dominates daily life.
To analyze identity construction, Shibata combined positioning theory and dominant language ideologies in case studies of two international students. Positioning theory focuses on how students claim their own positions or negotiate positions created by others in daily interactions. Dominant language ideologies define which languages hold prestige or face marginalization. This combined approach helps argue that positioning mediates students' language choices and class participation within the dual language context.
The study focused on two female students from Malaysia with Malaysian-Chinese fathers and Japanese mothers. Both identify as half-Japanese and half-Malaysian Chinese, and both speak Japanese, English, Chinese, and Malay. Despite their nearly identical backgrounds, the two students developed strikingly different language habits and self-perceptions.
The two students were originally part of a broader 2022 survey project that involved 124 international students. After initial interviews revealed contrasting experiences between the two students, Shibata conducted follow-up semi-structured interviews in 2024 to evaluate their development over time. She applied thematic and discourse analysis to the interview transcripts. Through the students' spoken accounts and specific word choices, the analysis revealed the intertwining of identity, sense of belonging, and power dynamics.
Specifically, the study illustrates two contrasting roles. An international student may attempt to act as an informal language coordinator to promote equal English use. However, when domestic peers default to Japanese, they reduce her role to a mere translator. “As a result, even highly competent multilingual students experience a sense of ‘ambivalent inclusion,’” Shibata notes.
Crucially, speaking Japanese does not guarantee peer acceptance or social integration. Despite their language skills, international students remain socially divided from domestic peers, experiencing a reality where they are nominally included yet fundamentally peripheral even within supposedly inclusive spaces. To bridge this gap between institutional policy and classroom reality, higher education institutions must move beyond simply offering English-taught courses and take active steps to create equitable learning environments.
“Although English-medium policies aim to attract international students and improve domestic students' English skills, universities often lack clear frameworks to achieve either goal,” Shibata concludes. “My ultimate goal is to use these findings to formulate practical institutional and pedagogical recommendations that help universities create structured environments for genuine collaborative learning.”
The study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory) (20K20701).
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About Hiroshima University
Since its foundation in 1949, Hiroshima University has striven to become one of the most prominent and comprehensive universities in Japan for the promotion and development of scholarship and education. Consisting of 12 schools for undergraduate level and 5 graduate schools, ranging from natural sciences to humanities and social sciences, the university has grown into one of the most distinguished comprehensive research universities in Japan. English website: https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en
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