diff --git a/ext/bg/js/backend.js b/ext/bg/js/backend.js
index 55905fab..67b17cc9 100644
--- a/ext/bg/js/backend.js
+++ b/ext/bg/js/backend.js
@@ -877,11 +877,7 @@ class Backend {
         this._anki.server = options.anki.server;
         this._anki.enabled = options.anki.enable;
 
-        if (options.parsing.enableMecabParser) {
-            this._mecab.startListener();
-        } else {
-            this._mecab.stopListener();
-        }
+        this._mecab.setEnabled(options.parsing.enableMecabParser);
 
         if (options.clipboard.enableBackgroundMonitor) {
             this._clipboardMonitor.start();
@@ -988,12 +984,19 @@ class Backend {
     async _textParseMecab(text, options) {
         const jp = this._japaneseUtil;
         const {parsing: {readingMode}} = options;
+
+        let parseTextResults;
+        try {
+            parseTextResults = await this._mecab.parseText(text);
+        } catch (e) {
+            return [];
+        }
+
         const results = [];
-        const rawResults = await this._mecab.parseText(text);
-        for (const [mecabName, parsedLines] of Object.entries(rawResults)) {
+        for (const {name, lines} of parseTextResults) {
             const result = [];
-            for (const parsedLine of parsedLines) {
-                for (const {expression, reading, source} of parsedLine) {
+            for (const line of lines) {
+                for (const {expression, reading, source} of line) {
                     const term = [];
                     for (const {text: text2, furigana} of jp.distributeFuriganaInflected(
                         expression.length > 0 ? expression : source,
@@ -1007,7 +1010,7 @@ class Backend {
                 }
                 result.push([{text: '\n', reading: ''}]);
             }
-            results.push([mecabName, result]);
+            results.push([name, result]);
         }
         return results;
     }
diff --git a/ext/bg/js/mecab.js b/ext/bg/js/mecab.js
index 238f7a7a..ef5d6821 100644
--- a/ext/bg/js/mecab.js
+++ b/ext/bg/js/mecab.js
@@ -15,107 +15,183 @@
  * along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
  */
 
-
+/**
+ * This class is used to connect Yomichan to a native component that is
+ * used to parse text into individual terms.
+ */
 class Mecab {
+    /**
+     * Creates a new instance of the class.
+     */
     constructor() {
-        this.port = null;
-        this.listeners = new Map();
-        this.sequence = 0;
+        this._port = null;
+        this._sequence = 0;
+        this._invocations = new Map();
+        this._eventListeners = new EventListenerCollection();
+        this._timeout = 5000;
+        this._version = 1;
+        this._remoteVersion = null;
+        this._enabled = false;
+        this._setupPortPromise = null;
     }
 
-    onError(error) {
-        yomichan.logError(error);
+    /**
+     * Returns whether or not the component is enabled.
+     */
+    isEnabled() {
+        return this._enabled;
     }
 
-    async checkVersion() {
-        try {
-            const {version} = await this.invoke('get_version', {});
-            if (version !== Mecab.version) {
-                this.stopListener();
-                throw new Error(`Unsupported MeCab native messenger version ${version}. Yomichan supports version ${Mecab.version}.`);
-            }
-        } catch (error) {
-            this.onError(error);
+    /**
+     * Changes whether or not the component connection is enabled.
+     * @param enabled A boolean indicating whether or not the component should be enabled.
+     */
+    setEnabled(enabled) {
+        this._enabled = !!enabled;
+        if (!this._enabled && this._port !== null) {
+            this._clearPort();
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Gets the version of the MeCab component.
+     * @returns The version of the MeCab component, or `null` if the component was not found.
+     */
+    async getVersion() {
+        try {
+            await this._setupPort();
+        } catch (e) {
+            // NOP
+        }
+        return this._remoteVersion;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Parses a string of Japanese text into arrays of lines and terms.
+     *
+     * Return value format:
+     * ```js
+     * [
+     *     {
+     *         name: (string),
+     *         lines: [
+     *             {expression: (string), reading: (string), source: (string)},
+     *             ...
+     *         ]
+     *     },
+     *     ...
+     * ]
+     * ```
+     * @param text The string to parse.
+     * @returns A collection of parsing results of the text.
+     */
     async parseText(text) {
-        const rawResults = await this.invoke('parse_text', {text});
-        // {
-        //     'mecab-name': [
-        //         // line1
-        //         [
-        //             {str expression: 'expression', str reading: 'reading', str source: 'source'},
-        //             {str expression: 'expression2', str reading: 'reading2', str source: 'source2'}
-        //         ],
-        //         line2,
-        //         ...
-        //     ],
-        //     'mecab-name2': [...]
-        // }
-        const results = {};
-        for (const [mecabName, parsedLines] of Object.entries(rawResults)) {
-            const result = [];
-            for (const parsedLine of parsedLines) {
-                const line = [];
-                for (const {expression, reading, source} of parsedLine) {
-                    line.push({
-                        expression: expression || '',
-                        reading: reading || '',
-                        source: source || ''
-                    });
-                }
-                result.push(line);
+        await this._setupPort();
+        const rawResults = await this._invoke('parse_text', {text});
+        return this._convertParseTextResults(rawResults);
+    }
+
+    // Private
+
+    _onMessage({sequence, data}) {
+        const invocation = this._invocations.get(sequence);
+        if (typeof invocation === 'undefined') { return; }
+
+        const {resolve, timer} = invocation;
+        clearTimeout(timer);
+        resolve(data);
+        this._invocations.delete(sequence);
+    }
+
+    _onDisconnect() {
+        if (this._port === null) { return; }
+        const e = chrome.runtime.lastError;
+        const error = new Error(e ? e.message : 'MeCab disconnected');
+        for (const {reject, timer} of this._invocations.values()) {
+            clearTimeout(timer);
+            reject(error);
+        }
+        this._clearPort();
+    }
+
+    _invoke(action, params) {
+        return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+            if (this._port === null) {
+                reject(new Error('Port disconnected'));
             }
-            results[mecabName] = result;
+
+            const sequence = this._sequence++;
+
+            const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+                this._invocations.delete(sequence);
+                reject(new Error(`MeCab invoke timed out after ${this._timeout}ms`));
+            }, this._timeout);
+
+            this._invocations.set(sequence, {resolve, reject, timer}, this._timeout);
+
+            this._port.postMessage({action, params, sequence});
+        });
+    }
+
+    _convertParseTextResults(rawResults) {
+        const results = [];
+        for (const [name, rawLines] of Object.entries(rawResults)) {
+            const lines = [];
+            for (const rawLine of rawLines) {
+                const line = [];
+                for (let {expression, reading, source} of rawLine) {
+                    if (typeof expression !== 'string') { expression = ''; }
+                    if (typeof reading !== 'string') { reading = ''; }
+                    if (typeof source !== 'string') { source = ''; }
+                    line.push({expression, reading, source});
+                }
+                lines.push(line);
+            }
+            results.push({name, lines});
         }
         return results;
     }
 
-    startListener() {
-        if (this.port !== null) { return; }
-        this.port = chrome.runtime.connectNative('yomichan_mecab');
-        this.port.onMessage.addListener(this.onNativeMessage.bind(this));
-        this.checkVersion();
-    }
-
-    stopListener() {
-        if (this.port === null) { return; }
-        this.port.disconnect();
-        this.port = null;
-        this.listeners.clear();
-        this.sequence = 0;
-    }
-
-    onNativeMessage({sequence, data}) {
-        const listener = this.listeners.get(sequence);
-        if (typeof listener === 'undefined') { return; }
-
-        const {callback, timer} = listener;
-        clearTimeout(timer);
-        callback(data);
-        this.listeners.delete(sequence);
-    }
-
-    invoke(action, params) {
-        if (this.port === null) {
-            return Promise.resolve({});
+    async _setupPort() {
+        if (!this._enabled) {
+            throw new Error('MeCab not enabled');
         }
-        return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-            const sequence = this.sequence++;
+        if (this._setupPortPromise === null) {
+            this._setupPortPromise = this._setupPort2();
+        }
+        try {
+            await this._setupPortPromise;
+        } catch (e) {
+            throw new Error(e.message);
+        }
+    }
 
-            this.listeners.set(sequence, {
-                callback: resolve,
-                timer: setTimeout(() => {
-                    this.listeners.delete(sequence);
-                    reject(new Error(`Mecab invoke timed out in ${Mecab.timeout} ms`));
-                }, Mecab.timeout)
-            });
+    async _setupPort2() {
+        const port = chrome.runtime.connectNative('yomichan_mecab');
+        this._eventListeners.addListener(port.onMessage, this._onMessage.bind(this));
+        this._eventListeners.addListener(port.onDisconnect, this._onDisconnect.bind(this));
+        this._port = port;
 
-            this.port.postMessage({action, params, sequence});
-        });
+        try {
+            const {version} = await this._invoke('get_version', {});
+            this._remoteVersion = version;
+            if (version !== this._version) {
+                throw new Error(`Unsupported MeCab native messenger version ${version}. Yomichan supports version ${this._version}.`);
+            }
+        } catch (e) {
+            if (this._port === port) {
+                this._clearPort();
+            }
+            throw e;
+        }
+    }
+
+    _clearPort() {
+        this._port.disconnect();
+        this._port = null;
+        this._invocations.clear();
+        this._eventListeners.removeAllEventListeners();
+        this._sequence = 0;
+        this._setupPortPromise = null;
     }
 }
-
-Mecab.timeout = 5000;
-Mecab.version = 1;