Diversity, Inclusion, and Professionalism in Japanese Language Education: Introduction to the Special Section

Diversity and inclusion have become a major concern in academic and professional institutions in recent years. As educators, we are responsible for creating environments where a diverse population of students can communicate beyond differences and learn from each other. While this educational mission is widely recognized, we have not sufficiently examined the extent to which a culture of diversity and inclusion has been fostered and actually practiced within our professional community. The current special section aims to facilitate dialogs on this topic among Japanese-language educators by sharing the results of an online survey conducted in 2018 and featuring commentaries prepared by twelve individuals who have contributed to Japanese language education in North America in different capacities. This introductory article provides a brief overview of the backgrounds and motivations for this special section and outlines its organization.