Language Planning and Policy towards Ainu and Ryukyuan Languages in Japan

Language planning and policy (LPP) in nation-states typically aim to provide communicative solutions for modern society by promoting linguistic unity. However, this approach has often created significant challenges for Indigenous and other linguistic minorities. A stark example of this issue can be seen in Japan, where all autochthonous languages other than Japanese are currently endangered. Therefore, a discussion of LPP towards Japan’s endangered languages must start with an examination of how a sociolinguistic environment was created where linguistic diversity cannot be sustained. This will be followed by a discussion of critical reflections and reversals of modernist LPP, and conclude with an outlook on the currently evolving approaches to language revitalization, highlighting the urgency of the situation.