Government raising the ante for Japanese classes abroad

A new push to spread Japanese language and culture abroad may see the current 39 official centers increased to more than 100 worldwide in a few years, sources said.

The Japan Foundation, which promotes Japanese language and culture around the world, is trying to substantially increase the number of students studying the language overseas.

The drive is intended to spur interest in Japan's language and culture as rivals, China in particular, have been stepping up their own campaigns to promote their languages worldwide, sources said. It also aims to help achieve Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's goal of having 300,000 foreign students in Japan.

In fiscal 2007, Japan had only about 120,000 international students.

The Japan Foundation, an independent administrative agency, offers Japanese language programs in 11 of its overseas offices. The programs include dispatches of experts to local universities and other institutions to train Japanese language teachers there.

In the new drive, the agency has defined these offices, local universities and other facilities as bases for improved Japanese language programs. It will work with the institutions as partners.

The foreign bases will be loosely classified into four levels, depending on the quality of the language courses and support system.

A base ranked as the highest category will have experts on Japanese language teaching, and local staff will receive training in Japan to enhance their Japanese teaching skills. In addition, Japanese language courses taught at the base will be subsidized and it will be given increased funding for teaching materials. The Japan Foundation had 39 bases in 31 countries as of the end of March.

While Japan has been trying to woo international students, it has not been easy because of growing competition from other countries.

China's Confucius Institute promotes the Chinese language and culture around the world. As of March 24, the institute had 139 locations in 50 countries.

In comparison, in summer 2006, Britain's British Council had 126 sites worldwide, while Germany's Goethe Institute had 101 locations.

Japan Foundation officials said that offering better Japanese language programs in more facilities abroad would encourage more students to come to Japan to study. The Japan Foundation also plans to expand Japanese courses offered via the Internet.

Mana Takatori, an official with the Japan Foundation's Japanese language department, stressed the importance of setting up more language centers abroad.

"Foreign students may be anxious about studying in Japan if their Japanese language skills are not good enough," Takatori said. "In terms of raising the number of foreign students in Japan, it is important to create a better environment for them to prepare themselves at home."(IHT/Asahi: April 28,2008)