ABSTRACT
This chapter describes and critiques the ways in which Japan has conceptualized intercollegiate policy debate. It explores the 1997 and 2017 judging philosophy statements published online, such as on the official website of the National Association of Forensics and Argumentation (NAFA), the premier English-language policy debate organization in Japan. It investigates how critic-judges in Japan understand debate theories and practice. The chapter discusses how differences in conceptualizations and educational approaches influence the development of theories and practices unique to Japanese debating. NAFA, established in 1983, has played a major role in the development of the intercollegiate policy debate community in Japan. It, along with Japan Debate Association started in 1986, expanded the intercollegiate debate community. The history of policy debate in Japan has a strong foundation in US debate practices. US debate coaches considered debate in Japan in the late 1970s as similar to American debate in the 1960s, with Japanese debaters familiar with debate theories of the time.
