ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses two aspects of language use on the Internet in Japan: what languages are used on websites and why, and innovative uses of the Japanese language itself in computer-mediated communication (CMC), including mobile messaging. While language use on the web in Japan, in terms of the selection of languages, is conservative overall with a strong monolingual bent, as dictated by national language policy, infrastructure, and cultural considerations, ludic use of the Japanese language itself online is multifaceted and far from conservative.
