Japan plans a more than 10-fold increase in the number of Japanese-language schools it runs abroad, hoping to tap into a growing interest in its pop culture, an official said Friday.
The move is part of Japan's efforts to promote its "soft power" as the nation seeks a greater global role and faces intensifying competition from emerging economies in its core export industries.
A panel of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said that the Japanese government directly operated only 10 language schools overseas, much lower than the number run by several other major countries.
Japan "will gradually increase the number of Japanese-language schools abroad to more than 100," said Nobuyuki Watanabe, a foreign ministry official.
"Ten government-backed schools is too small in number compared with the 950 French schools, 126 British-backed schools and 188 Chinese schools abroad," he said.
He said Japan would set up the new schools, partly through tie-ups with local universities, over the three years starting from the next fiscal year that begins in April.
Some 2.98 million people overseas were studying Japanese last year, most of them going to universities and privately managed schools, according to a survey by the quasi-governmental Japan Foundation.
Previously, most foreigners studying Japanese were motivated by an interest in doing business in the world's second largest economy.
"But recent trend is that people start learning Japanese because they are interested in Japanese pop culture such as manga and animation," Watanabe said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071221/lf_afp/lifestylejapandiplomacyschoollanguage_071221051708
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Japanese, French among top second foreign languages for high school students
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The number of local senior high school students to take up second foreign language courses as well as mandatory English classes increased 10 percent to nearly 30,000, this year.
A total of 26,289 students at 159 senior high schools vocational schools took up elective second foreign language courses last year.
The number rose to 29,890 students at 184 schools this year, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE).
MOE officials said Japanese remained the most popular second foreign language, drawing the vast majority of 24,233 students in 682 classes. The student number accounted for 81 percent of the total.
French came in second with 3,675 students in 121 classes, followed by German and Spanish that shared the third place with more than 800 students each.
The officials attributed the popularity of Japanese to the factors of history and environment.
There are a lot of people in Taiwan that can speak Japanese after the 50 years of Japanese colonial rule that ended in 1945.
This period helped to create a large reservoir of talents who can teach the language.
Japan is still the biggest source of foreign tourists visiting the island.
Due to the nation's geographical proximity, Japan is also one of the top trading partners with Taiwan and the second most popular overseas destination for Taiwan's outbound travelers after China.
To meet the growing market demand, more senior high schools -- especially vocational schools -- have now begun to offer Japanese language courses at the Department of Tourism and Culinary Skills.
Students are more interested in taking up the course so that they can find jobs more easily after graduation.
The massive amount of imports of Japanese products, especially vehicles, electrical appliances, video games and movies have all helped to generate a greater interest of Taiwanese in learning more about their neighboring nation.
The similarity between the written Chinese and Japanese words that evolved from Chinese characters make more youngsters think that it is much easier to pick Japanese as the second foreign language. Students at other schools selected other language courses, including Latin at the Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School and Russian at the Chengyuan Senior High School in Taipei City.
Teachers said some students were encouraged by their parents to take up the Russian language, in view of the opening up of Russia and Eastern European nations that will offer new business opportunities.
The MOE officials said that increasing globalization and more convenient transport services have also promoted the exchange of students of different nations.
A large delegation of 300 teachers and students from a school in Osaka, Japan, recently visited their counterparts at the Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls School.
Students from Malherbe School of Caen City in France also came to Taiwan to meet friends at the Taichung First Senior High School in central Taichung City.
Such were part of the exchange programs among the schools.
The visits of Taiwan's students to schools abroad and the return visits by foreign students helped to arouse new interest in learning the foreign languages, the officials explained.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2007/12/20/135593/Japanese-French.htm
A total of 26,289 students at 159 senior high schools vocational schools took up elective second foreign language courses last year.
The number rose to 29,890 students at 184 schools this year, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE).
MOE officials said Japanese remained the most popular second foreign language, drawing the vast majority of 24,233 students in 682 classes. The student number accounted for 81 percent of the total.
French came in second with 3,675 students in 121 classes, followed by German and Spanish that shared the third place with more than 800 students each.
The officials attributed the popularity of Japanese to the factors of history and environment.
There are a lot of people in Taiwan that can speak Japanese after the 50 years of Japanese colonial rule that ended in 1945.
This period helped to create a large reservoir of talents who can teach the language.
Japan is still the biggest source of foreign tourists visiting the island.
Due to the nation's geographical proximity, Japan is also one of the top trading partners with Taiwan and the second most popular overseas destination for Taiwan's outbound travelers after China.
To meet the growing market demand, more senior high schools -- especially vocational schools -- have now begun to offer Japanese language courses at the Department of Tourism and Culinary Skills.
Students are more interested in taking up the course so that they can find jobs more easily after graduation.
The massive amount of imports of Japanese products, especially vehicles, electrical appliances, video games and movies have all helped to generate a greater interest of Taiwanese in learning more about their neighboring nation.
The similarity between the written Chinese and Japanese words that evolved from Chinese characters make more youngsters think that it is much easier to pick Japanese as the second foreign language. Students at other schools selected other language courses, including Latin at the Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School and Russian at the Chengyuan Senior High School in Taipei City.
Teachers said some students were encouraged by their parents to take up the Russian language, in view of the opening up of Russia and Eastern European nations that will offer new business opportunities.
The MOE officials said that increasing globalization and more convenient transport services have also promoted the exchange of students of different nations.
A large delegation of 300 teachers and students from a school in Osaka, Japan, recently visited their counterparts at the Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls School.
Students from Malherbe School of Caen City in France also came to Taiwan to meet friends at the Taichung First Senior High School in central Taichung City.
Such were part of the exchange programs among the schools.
The visits of Taiwan's students to schools abroad and the return visits by foreign students helped to arouse new interest in learning the foreign languages, the officials explained.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2007/12/20/135593/Japanese-French.htm
Kwansei Gakuin, Seiwa universities plan merger
Kwansei Gakuin University and Seiwa University, both in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, signed a contract Wednesday to merge in April 2009.
The two universities will apply for the merger in May with the Education, Science and Technology Ministry.
The universities plan to set up a school of education and promote their educational continuity from kindergarten to university as a distinctive characteristic.
The presidents of both universities hope to contribute to society by creating a comprehensive school.
According to the merger contract, the universities plan to have two departments in the new school: a kindergarten and primary school education department that will accept 280 students and an education department for 70 students.
(Dec. 20, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071220TDY02201.htm
The two universities will apply for the merger in May with the Education, Science and Technology Ministry.
The universities plan to set up a school of education and promote their educational continuity from kindergarten to university as a distinctive characteristic.
The presidents of both universities hope to contribute to society by creating a comprehensive school.
According to the merger contract, the universities plan to have two departments in the new school: a kindergarten and primary school education department that will accept 280 students and an education department for 70 students.
(Dec. 20, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071220TDY02201.htm
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Japanese ambassador opens school in Taiz
TAIZ, Dec. 17 (Saba)- Japanese ambassador to Sana'a Masakazu Toshikage, along with officials in Taiz governorate, opened on Monday a new building of al-Sabah School in Maqbanh district at a cost of $ 95,000 funded by Japan.
Director of Education Office in the governorate Mahdi Ali stated to Saba that the project comes in the plan of the Japanese program to develop girls education in six districts across the governorate.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news143594.htm
Director of Education Office in the governorate Mahdi Ali stated to Saba that the project comes in the plan of the Japanese program to develop girls education in six districts across the governorate.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news143594.htm
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Panel eyes 19 graduate schools for teacher-training
A panel to discuss the establishment of universities and school corporations recommended Tuesday that Education, Science and Technology Minister Kisaburo Tokai accept 19 universities' requests to establish teacher-training graduate schools in April next year.
The panel's recommendation is considered to be certain to be accepted.
Twenty-one institutions initially requested permission to establish a graduate school, but two of them withdrew their requests due to "changes in the plan."
Although 19 graduate schools are to be launched, the panel urged all of them to improve their curriculums and operational plans.
Against the backdrop of eroding public trust in teachers due to an increasing number who lack appropriate skills, the teacher-training graduate schools are being introduced with great expectations, in the hopes of developing competent teachers for primary, middle and high schools. However, the start may not be so promising.
The graduate schools will provide two-year curriculums, under which students are to master practical areas of expertise, such as teaching methods and school management.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071128TDY02301.htm
The panel's recommendation is considered to be certain to be accepted.
Twenty-one institutions initially requested permission to establish a graduate school, but two of them withdrew their requests due to "changes in the plan."
Although 19 graduate schools are to be launched, the panel urged all of them to improve their curriculums and operational plans.
Against the backdrop of eroding public trust in teachers due to an increasing number who lack appropriate skills, the teacher-training graduate schools are being introduced with great expectations, in the hopes of developing competent teachers for primary, middle and high schools. However, the start may not be so promising.
The graduate schools will provide two-year curriculums, under which students are to master practical areas of expertise, such as teaching methods and school management.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071128TDY02301.htm
Student interns in '06 top 50,000
The number of university students who took part in internship programs as part of their curriculum totaled 50,430 in the 2006 academic year, topping 50,000 for the first time since the education ministry began keeping records 10 years ago.
The education ministry said Tuesday that 482 universities implemented the on-the-job training program in the year that ended last March, up 35 from the previous year, and about 8,000 more students participated in the program compared with the year before.
The 482 universities account for roughly 66 percent of all universities in Japan.
"The results underline the recent increase in interest among universities in career training," said a ministry official, who added that the uptrend is expected to continue.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071121b4.html
The education ministry said Tuesday that 482 universities implemented the on-the-job training program in the year that ended last March, up 35 from the previous year, and about 8,000 more students participated in the program compared with the year before.
The 482 universities account for roughly 66 percent of all universities in Japan.
"The results underline the recent increase in interest among universities in career training," said a ministry official, who added that the uptrend is expected to continue.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071121b4.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
