On the premise that the learning of a second or foreign language should contribute to, rather than subtract from, the cultural and linguistic resources which a learner already possesses, this paper documents an individual teacher's pedagogically centred challenge to a politically driven and potentially exclusive English-only language policy within the context of a Japanese university. A small group of Japanese English language learners took part in the project and data were gathered from a series of semi-structured conversation diaries, as well as through learner responses to two in-class activities which sought to promote a reflective analysis of individual language use behaviours. The two in-class activities were designed with the intention of assisting students to be able to make more self-directed language choices and to develop a heightened awareness and understanding of why the strategic use of the L1 may at times be beneficial to their second or foreign language learning ambitions.