Abstract
The Communicative Approach in Japanese Language Education was discussed from the end of the 1980's until the mid 1990's. Now, it is believed that people do not discuss the issue of teaching methods. In this paper, the process of discussion concerning methods is investigated based on research into various journals, (mainly Nihongo Kyoiku and Nihongogaku) The results are as follows: 1. Communicative competence is thought to be the most important issue for learners. So-called "learner-centered teaching" is now very popular. This is one of the reasons why this issue is not often discussed. 2. For improving communicative competence, it is said that the teacher must not only teach Japanese, but also give counseling or advising about the student's life. Based on this idea, the teacher should be an advisor, not a person who "teaches". In such a situation, it is natural that people do not often discuss teaching methodology. In the future, I think that Japanese language instructors must be seen as professionals. To realize this, we should continue to discuss teaching methods, and teaching materials as well. I close with a comment about what kind of acknowledgement of the field of sociolinguistics is necessary for the field of of Japanese Language Education.
