Reorienting Kokugo: integrating PISA reading literacy and cultural literacy in Japan’s 2017–2022 language education reform

This study investigates how the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) framework for reading literacy has been interpreted and adapted within Kokugo (Japanese language) curriculum, particularly through the integration of cultural literacy. Through qualitative document and textbook analysis, the study demonstrates that Japan’s Language Culture course in the Kokugo curriculum at the upper secondary level both aligns with and selectively resists global trends in literacy education, resulting in a hybrid curriculum that seeks to balance international standards with the preservation of national cultural identity. The rationale for the study lies in the need to understand how global policy instruments such as PISA are domesticated within specific national contexts. The novelty of the research is found in its focus on the underexplored Language Culture course and its role in mediating between global and local educational imperatives.