Special Guest Lecture by Professor Masahiko Minami of San Francisco State University

July 10, 2026

On Thursday, June 11, 2026, Professor Masahiko Minami from San Francisco State University—one of our university’s partner institutions—was invited to deliver a public lecture titled “Why Does Language Vary? Variation and Identity.”

Co-hosted by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research “Development and Implementation of a CEFR-J-Compliant Integrated Multilingual Education Environment” and the Center for International Japanese Studies, the lecture was held in a hybrid format—both in-person and online—with a total of 160 participants.

In his lecture, Professor Minami focused on his book *Understanding Identity Through Language* (2026: Bonjinsha) to discuss the diversity of linguistic expression across local communities, cultures, and generations as the “intersection of language, culture, and identity.” In addition to introducing the foreign language proficiency standards established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), he also touched on the history and activities of “Kimon Gakuen,” an institution for heritage Japanese education where he serves as principal. This lecture provided a valuable opportunity to take a fresh, in-depth look at language education from the perspective of “Japan in the United States.”

　 (This text was translated by AI.)

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