The idea of English as an international language (EIL) has gained a renewed momentum in the context of Japanese education since the turn of the century, when the Prime Minister’s Commission (2000) highlighted the need for skills in English as an international lingua franca. Despite applied linguists’ strenuous efforts to enhance public awareness of World Englishes, however, an adherence to Inner Circle English still lingers in TESOL practices, through which learners may feel frustrated or discouraged by the pursuit of the ideal, yet unattainable goal, of acquiring a native-like accent. Given that a majority of late learners in Japan aim at plurilingualism in order to function in increasingly globalised environments, a role model for EIL users in the Expanding Circle should be fluent L2 English speakers, rather than monolingual L1 speakers. The author argues that the use of English in Scandinavia (i.e., Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) would serve as a reference for this purpose from three perspectives: (1) the high compatibility of Scandinavian-accented English with the Lingua Franca Core, (2) the plurilingualism encouraged by the Council of Europe and its bottom-up implementation in the region, and (3) local learners’ tolerance towards a hybrid accent, which is not restricted to a single variety of English, neither GA or SSBE. The probability of this model being accepted in Japan can be predicted by preliminary research, which indicates that advanced learners have a positive attitude towards ‘European English’ by L2 English speakers in mainland Europe.
