ABSTRACT
The idea of the native speaker has demonstrated historical longevity despite its credibility being challenged, critiqued and undermined across varied national contexts. The quest for a more equitable profession, one which continues to suffer from subscription to group-based identities, has shifted the idea of the native speaker toward the ways in which it facilitates prejudicial treatment. This has been most commonly framed through the notion of native-speakerism. This chapter demonstrates that the localized native-speakerist practices in both English language teaching (ELT) and Japanese language teaching (JLT) have been shaped within Japan's historical, political, economic, social and cultural contexts. The dichotomy of Japanese and Other (foreigners) underlies such practices, which suggests that native-speakerist practices in Japan are a form of resistance to globalization, as represented by English. Although the concept of native-speakerism is relatively new in Japan and rarely acknowledged by the government and policy makers, it has been embedded in the Japanese education system.
