What varieties of English pronunciation are Japanese learners learning?

Japanese learners of English often say that they have learned American English, and high schools use American English textbooks and recordings. This study was carried out to find out which varieties of English influence Japanese learners’ pronunciation. Five short news stories were recorded by 65 university students from the Kanto region. Seven features of pronunciation, which are characteristically different in British and American English, were examined for American, British, Australian and Japanese influence. The students answered a questionnaire about their exposure to varieties of English and which one they were aiming at. A majority of students wanted to learn American English pronunciation, but a large minority wanted to learn British English, and a smaller number said they just wanted to be easily understood. The pronunciation of most of the students was judged to be influenced by American English where it was not influenced by Japanese, and the pronunciation of a few students was judged as sounding predominantly British.A small amount of Australian influence was found in the recordings of some of the students