For how long has Japanese been the official language of Japan?

Question

That is to say, in Japan, at which point in time, was it declared that official documents had to be written in the Japanese language?

I am also looking for any additional information like where it was decided, how was is decided, who decided that, etc...

There are two votes to close, but we allow questions like [how close Japan was to eradicating kanji](http://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/5520/119), and this question is clearly within the same scope, so I don't think it should be closed. — Questioner, Jun 15 '12 at 01:49
Interesting question, could fit on http://history.stackexchange.com too. — Nicolas Raoul, Jun 15 '12 at 09:16
Also, every time I read the title, it makes me laugh. For those who might not be native English speakers, using "since when" is often used as a challenge, as if the speaker believes strongly that something is *not* the case. So the way this question is phrased, it's like saying "Japanese ain't the official language of Japan, unless you can prove otherwise!" :) — Questioner, Jun 17 '12 at 06:44
@DaveMG Feel free to edit the question to improve it. Or make a proposition and I will edit the question myself :) — Mesop, Jun 17 '12 at 07:11
@olchauvin: No, I like it the way it is ;) ! Seriously, though, it's not technically wrong in any way, it's just a subtlety that *can* be interpreted the way I described. So, I'm happy to leave it in your own words. I'm a believer that people should be left to express themselves their own way, and only edit if the meaning is actually unclear. — Questioner, Jun 17 '12 at 07:42
For long time, Japanese bureaucrats (nobles and samurais) wrote documents in (quasi-) classical Chinese and read them in Japanese. Their writing styles gradually changed overtime. What kind of writing style do you define as the first official document in Japanese. — Gradius, Jun 18 '12 at 04:19
@DaveMG Oh, I'm sorry, I changed the title before I read your comment, now I feel like a jerk :( Just every time I read it seems so sarcastic, it takes me a while to realize that olchauvin is asking a legitimate question... — silvermaple, Jun 21 '12 at 01:26
@silvermaple Don't worry, it's far better that way. Thank you — Mesop, Jun 21 '12 at 06:53

score 9 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 14 '12 at 14:19

9

According to the wikipedia, there is no law that declares official documents should be written in Japanese, or stating that Japanese is the official language in Japan.

But there are some laws that requires the use of Japanese is certain situations, e.g. in court.

answered Jun 14 '12 at 14:19

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I would add that the reason there is no official law is because there is no need for one. – Jesse Good Jun 15 '12 at 00:09
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There is no official language in England either. – Ben Jun 21 '12 at 15:10

score 3 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 21 '12 at 01:27

I asked my Japanese teacher why there wasn't an official language in Japan. She asked me why there would be. HHhhmmm.... If you follow the wiki link you recover these facts (straight from the japanese gov')

日本の国語は日本語であるとか、公用語は日本語であるなどと定める条文はないんだ。まあ、日本国内で普遍的に使用されている言語は、日本語しかないから、日本語が我が国の国語であり、また、公用語であるということになるよね。

So basically, yeah, there is no need. Except for the court-room-language clause:

「裁判所では、日本語を用いる」（裁判所法（昭和22年法律第59号）第74条）

All though whose to say what "日本語" is.

Well, there's not an official language of the United States either, or several other countries. — Chris Barlow, Jun 27 '12 at 21:19

For how long has Japanese been the official language of Japan?

2 Answers2