TEACHING ENGLISH IN JAPAN　－Reflections on the role of the native speaker English teacher in Japanese universities－

In recent years the role of the native speaker English teacher has been severely criticised. This paper re-examines the contributions which the native speaker teacher is able to make when teaching English in a non-English speaking country like Japan. From a consideration of the current English teaching situation in Japan and the related cultural background, the paper moves on to an analysis of the particular strengths of the native speaker teacher. These range from providing a different learning environment with opportunities for genuine communication in English to facilitating cross-cultural understanding and providing examples of English used in an authentic setting. Finally, the point is made that the visiting native speaker teacher is able to act as mediator for the development of English internationally by updating studentsknowledge of currently acceptable forms and idioms in countries where it is the native language, all of which takes place through appropriately designed classroom activities