Japanese English educational policies have been subject to many changes as the socio-political climate
has advanced over time. Although English teachers are greatly affected by such policies, this has made it
sometimes difficult for teachers to keep up; barriers to obtaining information about current policies have
also meant that teachers may not always feel like they are fully aware of what is being asked of them.
This is especially true for mid-tier universities, to whom educational policies are not directly tailored. This
article reports on a survey on teachers’ awareness of English educational policy at one university, which is
part of a larger research project using the university as a qualitative case study on the reception of
English education policies at mid-tier universities. Although teachers reported being somewhat positive
about one core idea from recent policies—the development of gurōbaru-jinzai‘ global talent’, or individuals
prepared to work in internationally diverse environments—they were less positive about the appropriateness
of these policies for themselves and the Ministry of Education’s attempts to share information with
teachers. Systemic institutional issues may be part of the reason for this: Many teachers felt that the university
was dependent upon adjunct instructors and that there were not enough English teachers; they
also reported desiring better networks between English teachers. Improving these issues, as well as developing
the channels by which the Ministry of Education shares policy information with English teachers,
would likely go a long way to improving teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about English education policies.