Over the decades, efforts have been made to incorporate diverse perspectives on World Englishes into English Language Teaching (ELT) practice and teaching materials. To date, the majority of ELT learners and teachers have not yet been exposed to materials which use and explore non-standard forms of English. This paper examines the attitudes of Japanese learners and teachers of English towards the use of these forms in ELT coursebooks. This study, conducted through questionnaires, surveys, focus groups and interviews, indicates that junior and high school teachers in Japan are open to the possibility of exposing students to different varieties of English. There are also indications that teachers and students share practical concerns about this.