One thing that is almost certain not to change in the new century is Japan's long love-hate relationship with the English language. What might change is the degree of interest in learning English among younger Japanese, eager to tap the wealth of information available on the Internet. In fact, much about Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's heralded information-technology revolution suggests that, if successful, it could serve as a breakthrough to help the Japanese learn practical, everyday English. Unfortunately, that possibility is not helped by the sometimes contradictory recommendations of government advisers or the disdain shown by senior government officials for colleagues who can use English freely.

People's memories are short. Not much is heard these days about making English Japan's second official language, an idea that was proposed at the beginning of this year by the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's Commission on Japan's Goals in the 21st Century. The idea still has supporters, although at the time it was attacked by defenders of the "purity" of the Japanese nation, race and language -- and their numbers are not small. The critics were by no means limited to conservative politicians. Some leading academics and social commentators felt the same way. It is a pity that after the first flurry of media attention the subject failed to receive the sober ongoing debate it deserves.

It has to be acknowledged that Japan's most serious shortcoming in dealings abroad, both official and private, is the inability of its people to communicate comfortably in English. The "average" Japanese student or business traveler is notorious for being barely able to convey even rudimentary information in English, despite years of classroom effort and considerable personal expenditure on conversation schools and a growing range of home-study materials.