Japan intends to welcome 2 000 students from Central Asia within three years ahead.
Information on all the Japan’s universities will be given in order to contribute to the development of further collaboration, deputy press secretary of Foreign Affairs Minister, director of international press department under Japan’s MFA secretariat Noriyuka Shikata told a briefing today in Astana.
Kazakhstan is an important partner for Japan, Mr Shikata said. Japan is interested in developing human resources, infrastructure, and improvement of healthcare service.
Kazakhstan expects direct investments including transfer of high technologies, widening collaboration in sphere of petrochemistry and electronics, Shikata added.
http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=144166
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Tanigaki eyes doubling number of foreign students by early 2010s
Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, running in the race to become Japan's next prime minister, on Wednesday proposed doubling the number of foreign students in Japan from the current 120,000 by the early 2010s, a move he said will help improve the nation's relations with China and South Korea.
"With this plan, young people responsible for the future of Asia can learn from each other and deepen their mutual understanding. Japanese universities can also turn themselves into a crucible of intellect, so as to train people to be active parts of an ever diversified world," he said.
However, Tanigaki did not go into details when he unveiled the proposal during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
Restoring relations with China and South Korea, which he says are currently "abnormal," is one of Tanigaki's key policy planks in his bid to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who will step down next month.
Tanigaki repeated he will not visit Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which China and South Korea see as a symbol of Japan's militarist past, if he becomes premier, and that he proposed establishing a hotline with Chinese and South Korean leaders to discuss bilateral and regional issues.
Koizumi's visits to the Shinto shrine, where 2.5 million war dead along with 14 Class-A war criminals are enshrined, have angered the two neighboring countries, which have refused to hold summit talks with Koizumi.
Tanigaki also said that if he becomes prime minister, he will upgrade Japan's ties with India, an emerging economic power. He also called for maintaining the Japan-U.S. security alliance, saying it is "natural" to craft Japan's defense policy based on it.
Other major contenders in the Sept. 20 presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Aso. The winner will become prime minister given the LDP's dominance in the powerful House of Representatives.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060823/kyodo/d8jm02v80.html
"With this plan, young people responsible for the future of Asia can learn from each other and deepen their mutual understanding. Japanese universities can also turn themselves into a crucible of intellect, so as to train people to be active parts of an ever diversified world," he said.
However, Tanigaki did not go into details when he unveiled the proposal during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
Restoring relations with China and South Korea, which he says are currently "abnormal," is one of Tanigaki's key policy planks in his bid to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who will step down next month.
Tanigaki repeated he will not visit Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which China and South Korea see as a symbol of Japan's militarist past, if he becomes premier, and that he proposed establishing a hotline with Chinese and South Korean leaders to discuss bilateral and regional issues.
Koizumi's visits to the Shinto shrine, where 2.5 million war dead along with 14 Class-A war criminals are enshrined, have angered the two neighboring countries, which have refused to hold summit talks with Koizumi.
Tanigaki also said that if he becomes prime minister, he will upgrade Japan's ties with India, an emerging economic power. He also called for maintaining the Japan-U.S. security alliance, saying it is "natural" to craft Japan's defense policy based on it.
Other major contenders in the Sept. 20 presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Aso. The winner will become prime minister given the LDP's dominance in the powerful House of Representatives.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060823/kyodo/d8jm02v80.html
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Over 200 Chinese students welcomed in Japan for exchange tour
Japanese Foreign Ministry welcomed Tuesday a team of 250 Chinese high school students in Tokyo, who will begin their 9-day exchange tour in Japan.
"Exchanges between Japanese and Chinese people, especially those between the juniors who shoulder the future, are very important," Yasuhisa Shiozaki, senior Japanese vice-minister for foreign affairs said at the welcoming ceremony.
Shiozaki said that he hoped the teenage students can know more about Japan and make Japanese friends during their tour in several Japanese prefectures including Yamagata, Akita, Aomori, Kanagawa and Tochigi.
"It is of great significance to promote all kinds of exchanges between the two countries when the bilateral relations are in difficulty," Kong Xuanyou, acting ambassador for Chinese Embassy in Japan said. He expressed his hope that the tour can contribute to enlarging youth exchanges and improving friendship with Japan.
The students, from various parts of China including Beijing, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shaanxi, Hebei and Hubei, arrived in Japan on Monday, under a high school student exchange program between Japan and China.
According to the program, a total of 1,100 Chinese students will visit Japan, stay with Japanese families and attend exchanging activities with their Japanese counterparts. This group is the second batch of such exchange tours.
Source: Xinhua
http://english.people.com.cn/200608/22/eng20060822_295735.html
"Exchanges between Japanese and Chinese people, especially those between the juniors who shoulder the future, are very important," Yasuhisa Shiozaki, senior Japanese vice-minister for foreign affairs said at the welcoming ceremony.
Shiozaki said that he hoped the teenage students can know more about Japan and make Japanese friends during their tour in several Japanese prefectures including Yamagata, Akita, Aomori, Kanagawa and Tochigi.
"It is of great significance to promote all kinds of exchanges between the two countries when the bilateral relations are in difficulty," Kong Xuanyou, acting ambassador for Chinese Embassy in Japan said. He expressed his hope that the tour can contribute to enlarging youth exchanges and improving friendship with Japan.
The students, from various parts of China including Beijing, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shaanxi, Hebei and Hubei, arrived in Japan on Monday, under a high school student exchange program between Japan and China.
According to the program, a total of 1,100 Chinese students will visit Japan, stay with Japanese families and attend exchanging activities with their Japanese counterparts. This group is the second batch of such exchange tours.
Source: Xinhua
http://english.people.com.cn/200608/22/eng20060822_295735.html
Incentives aim to lure top Asian students to stay
The government plans to offer scholarships for Asian students to study at universities and graduate schools in Japan to encourage them to stay and work for domestic companies after graduation.
According to sources, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will launch the scholarship system in fiscal 2007 in cooperation with domestic firms interested in recruiting students from China, South Korea and other Asian countries.
The idea is to raise the number of skilled foreign nationals working in the corporate sector, the sources said.
Figures released by the industry ministry show that of about 30,000 overseas students who graduated from Japanese universities and graduate schools in fiscal 2004, only 5,700 of them found jobs here.
The program will involve special two-year courses that meet the specific needs of companies from the consumer electronics, information technology and ecology-related sectors. Classes to teach students the Japanese language will also be offered along with company internships.
The sources said the ministries are considering grants of between 200,000 and 300,000 yen a month to cover the students' tuition fees, rent and living costs.
The scholarships will be awarded annually to about 2,000 students, putting them on the fast track for corporate posts.
The ministries are also to ask the participating schools to come up with measures to help the scholarship students gain a good command of Japanese and better understand Japanese corporate culture.
Insufficient language ability and a lack of understanding of business practices here are commonly cited as reasons foreign graduates are reluctant to pursue work with Japanese firms.
Courses are to be selected following a ministry screening of university and graduate school programs nationwide.
The two ministries plan to request 6 billion yen from the fiscal 2007 budget to cover costs. That will include programs to help foreign students already enrolled on existing government scholarships to find jobs after graduating, the sources said.(IHT/Asahi: August 21,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200608210099.html
According to sources, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will launch the scholarship system in fiscal 2007 in cooperation with domestic firms interested in recruiting students from China, South Korea and other Asian countries.
The idea is to raise the number of skilled foreign nationals working in the corporate sector, the sources said.
Figures released by the industry ministry show that of about 30,000 overseas students who graduated from Japanese universities and graduate schools in fiscal 2004, only 5,700 of them found jobs here.
The program will involve special two-year courses that meet the specific needs of companies from the consumer electronics, information technology and ecology-related sectors. Classes to teach students the Japanese language will also be offered along with company internships.
The sources said the ministries are considering grants of between 200,000 and 300,000 yen a month to cover the students' tuition fees, rent and living costs.
The scholarships will be awarded annually to about 2,000 students, putting them on the fast track for corporate posts.
The ministries are also to ask the participating schools to come up with measures to help the scholarship students gain a good command of Japanese and better understand Japanese corporate culture.
Insufficient language ability and a lack of understanding of business practices here are commonly cited as reasons foreign graduates are reluctant to pursue work with Japanese firms.
Courses are to be selected following a ministry screening of university and graduate school programs nationwide.
The two ministries plan to request 6 billion yen from the fiscal 2007 budget to cover costs. That will include programs to help foreign students already enrolled on existing government scholarships to find jobs after graduating, the sources said.(IHT/Asahi: August 21,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200608210099.html
Morning class a hit with Nagoya early birds
NAGOYA--Juggling work and family commitments and still having the time to meet friends or study is hard, granted.
Perhaps, say some analysts, that happens even more so in Nagoya, where the economy is on a roll and an increasing number of salaried workers are urged to work overtime.
But, in line with the cyclical highs of a healthy economy, Nagoya workers stretched for time are creating a new market for educators.
In fact, early-morning classes, in everything from English to bookkeeping to yoga, are catching on here like nowhere else in the country.
Nagoya Ohara Gakuen Colleges, which offer courses in accounting and financial planning, among others in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, started morning classes at two branches in Nagoya two years ago.
According to school officials, about 250 students took early-bird classes last year.
About 70 percent of them were women around 30 years old.
Kumiko Jinza, 28, attends a 7:30 a.m. bookkeeping class at the Sakae branch in central Nagoya.
"I would be too tired from work to concentrate on lectures at night. Learning in the morning for a short period of time is more efficient," says Jinza.
Although the Ohara group has schools all over the country, the early study sessions, which are generally cheaper than the regular courses, are only offered in the Nagoya region.
"We are catering to people who could not attend classes at night because of their overtime work," says Masao Koga, who heads the adult class division at Ohara. "There are also people who are taking the courses for the low fees."
Meanwhile, the Asahi Culture Center is also finding success with early risers.
It offers English conversation classes at a Starbucks coffee shop near Sakae Station twice a week.
Two thousand yen covers the cost of the hour-long, 7:30 a.m. class as well as a coffee and a croissant.
Forty-year-old Masanari Iwamoto, who takes the English class, says he previously took night classes but work always kept him from going, and he ended up wasting his money.
"The course is a good deal as it includes breakfast. I have also found friends outside work," he said.
The number of people here who head off to early gym sessions or yoga classes is also on the rise.
Pacific Sports Club, for example, offers special prices for morning workouts.
Members pay just 4,000 yen a month and can use the facilities from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
According to a club spokesperson, many people who work in central Nagoya area use the gym two or three times a week.
"Morning members say that they have raised their metabolic rates and are making better progress at work," the spokesperson added.(IHT/Asahi: August 21,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200608210090.html
Perhaps, say some analysts, that happens even more so in Nagoya, where the economy is on a roll and an increasing number of salaried workers are urged to work overtime.
But, in line with the cyclical highs of a healthy economy, Nagoya workers stretched for time are creating a new market for educators.
In fact, early-morning classes, in everything from English to bookkeeping to yoga, are catching on here like nowhere else in the country.
Nagoya Ohara Gakuen Colleges, which offer courses in accounting and financial planning, among others in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, started morning classes at two branches in Nagoya two years ago.
According to school officials, about 250 students took early-bird classes last year.
About 70 percent of them were women around 30 years old.
Kumiko Jinza, 28, attends a 7:30 a.m. bookkeeping class at the Sakae branch in central Nagoya.
"I would be too tired from work to concentrate on lectures at night. Learning in the morning for a short period of time is more efficient," says Jinza.
Although the Ohara group has schools all over the country, the early study sessions, which are generally cheaper than the regular courses, are only offered in the Nagoya region.
"We are catering to people who could not attend classes at night because of their overtime work," says Masao Koga, who heads the adult class division at Ohara. "There are also people who are taking the courses for the low fees."
Meanwhile, the Asahi Culture Center is also finding success with early risers.
It offers English conversation classes at a Starbucks coffee shop near Sakae Station twice a week.
Two thousand yen covers the cost of the hour-long, 7:30 a.m. class as well as a coffee and a croissant.
Forty-year-old Masanari Iwamoto, who takes the English class, says he previously took night classes but work always kept him from going, and he ended up wasting his money.
"The course is a good deal as it includes breakfast. I have also found friends outside work," he said.
The number of people here who head off to early gym sessions or yoga classes is also on the rise.
Pacific Sports Club, for example, offers special prices for morning workouts.
Members pay just 4,000 yen a month and can use the facilities from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
According to a club spokesperson, many people who work in central Nagoya area use the gym two or three times a week.
"Morning members say that they have raised their metabolic rates and are making better progress at work," the spokesperson added.(IHT/Asahi: August 21,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200608210090.html
Wine used to lure students
Faced with slumping student numbers, a university in Kofu has hit upon a possible way to keep enrollments up--sell wine on campus.
Yamanashi University, the only university in Japan to have a wine research institute, hopes its wines will give it a competitive advantage in attracting students.
Wines, made by four local wineries using yeast developed by the university's Institute of Enology and Viticulture, will be sold at a convenience store that will open on campus early next year.
Six major convenience store chain operators have expressed interest in opening an outlet on campus. Next month, the university will choose which operator will run the store.
In April 2004, the Education, Science and Technology Ministry relaxed university management regulations to enable universities to adopt new measures to improve amenities for students and staff.
In the same month, state-run universities, including Yamanashi University, became independent administrative corporations.
"To compete with private universities in the area and the many universities in Tokyo, we must rack our brains to [find ways to] increase our entrance examination applicants," said Hideaki Nukui, president of the university.
The convenience store will open from early morning until late at night. "The existing co-op and the new convenience store will compete with each other to upgrade services," Nukui said.
The news has been hailed by students, particularly those in graduate courses who often have to study late.
Faculty members are also pleased because they will no longer need to leave the campus during lunch hour to avoid packed canteens run by the co-op.
In December 2004, Kyoto University became the first state-run university to have a convenience store open an outlet on its campus. Tokyo, Saitama, Nagoya and other universities have since followed suit.
Yamanashi University had previously planned to sell wine on campus, but the plan fell foul of government regulations that placed restrictions on new retailers of alcoholic beverages to protect existing retailers. The restrictions will be lifted on Aug. 31.
The legal drinking age is 20 in Japan.
(Aug. 21, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20060821TDY17003.htm
Yamanashi University, the only university in Japan to have a wine research institute, hopes its wines will give it a competitive advantage in attracting students.
Wines, made by four local wineries using yeast developed by the university's Institute of Enology and Viticulture, will be sold at a convenience store that will open on campus early next year.
Six major convenience store chain operators have expressed interest in opening an outlet on campus. Next month, the university will choose which operator will run the store.
In April 2004, the Education, Science and Technology Ministry relaxed university management regulations to enable universities to adopt new measures to improve amenities for students and staff.
In the same month, state-run universities, including Yamanashi University, became independent administrative corporations.
"To compete with private universities in the area and the many universities in Tokyo, we must rack our brains to [find ways to] increase our entrance examination applicants," said Hideaki Nukui, president of the university.
The convenience store will open from early morning until late at night. "The existing co-op and the new convenience store will compete with each other to upgrade services," Nukui said.
The news has been hailed by students, particularly those in graduate courses who often have to study late.
Faculty members are also pleased because they will no longer need to leave the campus during lunch hour to avoid packed canteens run by the co-op.
In December 2004, Kyoto University became the first state-run university to have a convenience store open an outlet on its campus. Tokyo, Saitama, Nagoya and other universities have since followed suit.
Yamanashi University had previously planned to sell wine on campus, but the plan fell foul of government regulations that placed restrictions on new retailers of alcoholic beverages to protect existing retailers. The restrictions will be lifted on Aug. 31.
The legal drinking age is 20 in Japan.
(Aug. 21, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20060821TDY17003.htm
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Ministry to help universities attract foreign research funds
The Education, Science and Technology Ministry plans to begin next academic year drawing up measures to improve cooperation between Japanese universities and foreign firms, according to ministry sources.
Currently, the number of research projects for which foreign companies commission Japanese universities is very small, while that of studies farmed out to foreign universities by Japanese companies is large. The new measures are aimed at rectifying the situation, the sources said.
The ministry will select 10 universities and budget tens of millions of yen annually per university to improve systems and staffing for cooperation with foreign companies, the sources said.
According to the sources, the ministry's survey of 966 universities nationwide showed that 16,936 research projects had been funded by the private sector in the 2005 academic year, but only 41 of those--a mere 0.24 percent--were paid for by foreign firms.
Japanese firms, meanwhile, farm out research far more often to foreign universities than they do Japanese universities, spending 198.5 billion yen in fiscal 2003, the sources said.
The ministry has concluded that the universities' failure to establish a policy for cooperation with foreign firms has led to the current situation, and intends to help domestic universities improve such activities.
The ministry plans to assist universities cooperating with the private sector to establish an office within their intellectual property departments in charge of negotiating with foreign companies.
It is also considering posting experts in other countries' patent laws and those knowledgeable about who owns the rights to the research.
The ministry will use the system to promote the use of business management firms acting as negotiators with foreign companies.
(Aug. 6, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060806TDY02002.htm
Currently, the number of research projects for which foreign companies commission Japanese universities is very small, while that of studies farmed out to foreign universities by Japanese companies is large. The new measures are aimed at rectifying the situation, the sources said.
The ministry will select 10 universities and budget tens of millions of yen annually per university to improve systems and staffing for cooperation with foreign companies, the sources said.
According to the sources, the ministry's survey of 966 universities nationwide showed that 16,936 research projects had been funded by the private sector in the 2005 academic year, but only 41 of those--a mere 0.24 percent--were paid for by foreign firms.
Japanese firms, meanwhile, farm out research far more often to foreign universities than they do Japanese universities, spending 198.5 billion yen in fiscal 2003, the sources said.
The ministry has concluded that the universities' failure to establish a policy for cooperation with foreign firms has led to the current situation, and intends to help domestic universities improve such activities.
The ministry plans to assist universities cooperating with the private sector to establish an office within their intellectual property departments in charge of negotiating with foreign companies.
It is also considering posting experts in other countries' patent laws and those knowledgeable about who owns the rights to the research.
The ministry will use the system to promote the use of business management firms acting as negotiators with foreign companies.
(Aug. 6, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060806TDY02002.htm
No. of people firms plan to hire for mid-career programs rises 30%
The number of people Japanese companies were planning to hire at the start of fiscal 2006 under their mid-career recruitment programs shot up 30.1 percent over a year earlier to 695,900, Recruit Co. said Wednesday.
The job placement ad magazine publisher said the findings, based on a survey it conducted in February and March, indicate that Japanese companies are facing worker shortages as a result of an economic rebound.
A Recruit analyst said the mid-career programs at big companies are "also designed to remedy" the shortages of young workers in their workforces.
The shortages have arisen from the companies' decisions in recent years to limit the number of fresh graduates from universities and colleges they employ prior to the start of their new business years.
The number of people which the companies whose workers on regular payrolls are 299 or less were planning to hire under such recruitment plans rose 26.5 percent to 546,600, Recruit said.
The number of mid-career recruits to be hired at firms with a regular payroll between 300 and 999 rose 37.5 percent to 59,800, while the number at firms with a regular payroll of over 1,000 jumped 51.6 percent to 89,600.
Recruit said the survey represented the firm's first-ever probe into Japanese companies' mid-career recruitment programs.
Recruit polled some 7,469 companies with a workforce of five persons or more. Of the polled, 4,068 responded.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060802/kyodo/d8j8b3700.html
The job placement ad magazine publisher said the findings, based on a survey it conducted in February and March, indicate that Japanese companies are facing worker shortages as a result of an economic rebound.
A Recruit analyst said the mid-career programs at big companies are "also designed to remedy" the shortages of young workers in their workforces.
The shortages have arisen from the companies' decisions in recent years to limit the number of fresh graduates from universities and colleges they employ prior to the start of their new business years.
The number of people which the companies whose workers on regular payrolls are 299 or less were planning to hire under such recruitment plans rose 26.5 percent to 546,600, Recruit said.
The number of mid-career recruits to be hired at firms with a regular payroll between 300 and 999 rose 37.5 percent to 59,800, while the number at firms with a regular payroll of over 1,000 jumped 51.6 percent to 89,600.
Recruit said the survey represented the firm's first-ever probe into Japanese companies' mid-career recruitment programs.
Recruit polled some 7,469 companies with a workforce of five persons or more. Of the polled, 4,068 responded.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060802/kyodo/d8j8b3700.html
Rough road ahead for private universities
The expansionary policy of private universities and the establishment of new universities in an attempt to lure students has backfired.
According to the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan, the percentage of private universities whose enrollment following the spring entrance examinations failed to meet their intake quotas hit a record high of 40.4 percent, exceeding the 40 percent mark for the first time.
The environment surrounding private universities has changed significantly in recent years.
The Education, Science and Technology Ministry abolished its policy on the establishment of new universities and new departments. Joint-stock companies may now open universities in special structural reform zones.
The deregulation has resulted in many new types of universities and departments being opened around the country.
According to the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation, eight new universities and 41 departments were created this spring, excluding those opened by joint-stock companies and those offering only correspondence courses.
As a result, the total intake quota increased by 9,258 from the previous spring to about 440,000, which was a key factor contributing to the unmet enrollment in the survey.
The number of university applicants, however, has declined.
According to the ministry, the number of 18-year-olds dropped from about 1.73 million in academic year 1996 to about 1.33 million this year, with that population expected to fall to about 1.17 million in 2018.
Tadao Kiyonari, a university affairs consultant at Hosei University, said the phenomenon was irrational from the viewpoint of supply and demand.
Why has supply failed to reflect demand? As competition for students intensifies among universities, each university has done its best to recruit students by opening departments in popular fields, such as nursing and welfare, and primary education.
On the other hand, the number of applicants for the less popular departments, such as engineering and pharmacy, which was recently changed from a four-year course to a six-year course, declined.
A Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation official said it is not easy for universities to integrate or scrap existing departments when they consider the interests of the professors and students in those departments.
In other words, the expansionary policies that some universities have followed and the establishment of new universities--all to recruit more students--has resulted in a vicious cycle that has aggravated the environment for all private universities.
However, with the number of applicants for the popular nursing and welfare course leveling off, the official also pointed out such courses have their limits in attracting students.
A senior official from the education ministry said the ministry had no intention of tightening controls on universities again because the deregulation is a government policy.
As such, the number of universities that will go bankrupt after failing to recruit students is expected to rise.
The ministry has already begun mapping out measures to deal with possible university bankruptcies. In May last year, the education ministry released steps to deal with financially troubled academic institutions, including a program to protect students of bankrupt universities.
In the event that a university goes under, neighboring universities will be asked to accept students of the bankrupt university, reduce enrollment fees and accept the students' credits.
Meanwhile, a group of experts from the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation also released an interim report in mid-July on steps to deal with bankrupt universities. They proposed the introduction of a "yellow card" system under which the corporation will offer business advice to universities confirmed to have financial troubles.
In the event that such universities cannot improve their finances, the corporation will then take "red card" measures against them, such as terminating the provision of subsidies and loans and suspending student recruitment.
Next year, the number of applicants will match the enrollment quota.
To prevent private universities from going belly up, each university has to do its best to improve its finances. The latest survey showed that small universities whose enrollment quotas were fewer than 100 students increased their enrollment rates from the previous year.
As such, some universities might have to streamline their operations by reducing their number of departments and their enrollment quota. Some of the less-popular universities have offered job-hunting assistance and unique courses for students as ways to differentiate themselves from other universities.
However, instead of seeking immediate returns by opening popular new departments, universities should carry out concrete reforms, such as improving their quality, to impress students and firms.
(Aug. 1, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060801TDY04003.htm
According to the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan, the percentage of private universities whose enrollment following the spring entrance examinations failed to meet their intake quotas hit a record high of 40.4 percent, exceeding the 40 percent mark for the first time.
The environment surrounding private universities has changed significantly in recent years.
The Education, Science and Technology Ministry abolished its policy on the establishment of new universities and new departments. Joint-stock companies may now open universities in special structural reform zones.
The deregulation has resulted in many new types of universities and departments being opened around the country.
According to the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation, eight new universities and 41 departments were created this spring, excluding those opened by joint-stock companies and those offering only correspondence courses.
As a result, the total intake quota increased by 9,258 from the previous spring to about 440,000, which was a key factor contributing to the unmet enrollment in the survey.
The number of university applicants, however, has declined.
According to the ministry, the number of 18-year-olds dropped from about 1.73 million in academic year 1996 to about 1.33 million this year, with that population expected to fall to about 1.17 million in 2018.
Tadao Kiyonari, a university affairs consultant at Hosei University, said the phenomenon was irrational from the viewpoint of supply and demand.
Why has supply failed to reflect demand? As competition for students intensifies among universities, each university has done its best to recruit students by opening departments in popular fields, such as nursing and welfare, and primary education.
On the other hand, the number of applicants for the less popular departments, such as engineering and pharmacy, which was recently changed from a four-year course to a six-year course, declined.
A Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation official said it is not easy for universities to integrate or scrap existing departments when they consider the interests of the professors and students in those departments.
In other words, the expansionary policies that some universities have followed and the establishment of new universities--all to recruit more students--has resulted in a vicious cycle that has aggravated the environment for all private universities.
However, with the number of applicants for the popular nursing and welfare course leveling off, the official also pointed out such courses have their limits in attracting students.
A senior official from the education ministry said the ministry had no intention of tightening controls on universities again because the deregulation is a government policy.
As such, the number of universities that will go bankrupt after failing to recruit students is expected to rise.
The ministry has already begun mapping out measures to deal with possible university bankruptcies. In May last year, the education ministry released steps to deal with financially troubled academic institutions, including a program to protect students of bankrupt universities.
In the event that a university goes under, neighboring universities will be asked to accept students of the bankrupt university, reduce enrollment fees and accept the students' credits.
Meanwhile, a group of experts from the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation also released an interim report in mid-July on steps to deal with bankrupt universities. They proposed the introduction of a "yellow card" system under which the corporation will offer business advice to universities confirmed to have financial troubles.
In the event that such universities cannot improve their finances, the corporation will then take "red card" measures against them, such as terminating the provision of subsidies and loans and suspending student recruitment.
Next year, the number of applicants will match the enrollment quota.
To prevent private universities from going belly up, each university has to do its best to improve its finances. The latest survey showed that small universities whose enrollment quotas were fewer than 100 students increased their enrollment rates from the previous year.
As such, some universities might have to streamline their operations by reducing their number of departments and their enrollment quota. Some of the less-popular universities have offered job-hunting assistance and unique courses for students as ways to differentiate themselves from other universities.
However, instead of seeking immediate returns by opening popular new departments, universities should carry out concrete reforms, such as improving their quality, to impress students and firms.
(Aug. 1, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060801TDY04003.htm
Friday, July 21, 2006
Updated 2006 Japan Australia StudyLink Cup Game times
Current 2006 Japan-Australia StudyLink Cup Match times (Please watch this space):
8/9 3pm Game 1 vs. RMIT Redbacks at Bob Jane Stadium
8/10 7pm Game 2 vs. University of Melbourne at the Darebin International Sports Centre
8/11 7pm Game 3 vs. Victoria Institute of Sport at the Darebin International Sports Centre.
Please send any questions to joshua.flannery@studylink.com
StudyLink scores a goal for cultural exchange
As World Cup fever takes hold, Japanese and Australian university students are preparing to go head to head on the soccer pitch to mark the Year of Exchange between the two countries. The StudyLink Cup will see a team of 23 Japanese university students, selected and sponsored by the Kansai Student Soccer Federation, fly to Melbourne for a soccer tour of several Australian universities. The event is to also celebrate the Osaka-Melbourne sister city relationship - the Kansai team players being based in and around Osaka city.
International student recruitment firm StudyLink organised the inaugural tournament to promote sport, language and cultural exchange. StudyLink CEO Jason Howard said: “We’re committed to bringing students together and promoting understanding through education. What better way to initiate this than through sport?”
The RMIT University will host the Japanese team during its August 8 to 12 stay. While in Melbourne the team will play the RMIT Redbacks, the University of Melbourne team, and the budding national team-members of the Victorian Institute of Sport.
RMIT will provide accommodation for the visitors and, with 200 of the university’s students learning Japanese, there will be no shortage of people to host, guide and socialise with the team. The school has also invited the team into their language class to enjoy a discussion about soccer and the World Cup.
Melbourne City International has organised a lunch at the Melbourne Town Hall on August 10 where the Japanese players and others involved in the StudyLink Cup will be met by the city’s councillors.
The StudyLink Cup has been endorsed by the 2006 Japan-Australia Year of Exchange Committee and its participants will by vying for a prize sponsored by the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
http://www.jufa-kansai.jp/about/06.07.14message.html (Japanese)
8/9 3pm Game 1 vs. RMIT Redbacks at Bob Jane Stadium
8/10 7pm Game 2 vs. University of Melbourne at the Darebin International Sports Centre
8/11 7pm Game 3 vs. Victoria Institute of Sport at the Darebin International Sports Centre.
Please send any questions to joshua.flannery@studylink.com
StudyLink scores a goal for cultural exchange
As World Cup fever takes hold, Japanese and Australian university students are preparing to go head to head on the soccer pitch to mark the Year of Exchange between the two countries. The StudyLink Cup will see a team of 23 Japanese university students, selected and sponsored by the Kansai Student Soccer Federation, fly to Melbourne for a soccer tour of several Australian universities. The event is to also celebrate the Osaka-Melbourne sister city relationship - the Kansai team players being based in and around Osaka city.
International student recruitment firm StudyLink organised the inaugural tournament to promote sport, language and cultural exchange. StudyLink CEO Jason Howard said: “We’re committed to bringing students together and promoting understanding through education. What better way to initiate this than through sport?”
The RMIT University will host the Japanese team during its August 8 to 12 stay. While in Melbourne the team will play the RMIT Redbacks, the University of Melbourne team, and the budding national team-members of the Victorian Institute of Sport.
RMIT will provide accommodation for the visitors and, with 200 of the university’s students learning Japanese, there will be no shortage of people to host, guide and socialise with the team. The school has also invited the team into their language class to enjoy a discussion about soccer and the World Cup.
Melbourne City International has organised a lunch at the Melbourne Town Hall on August 10 where the Japanese players and others involved in the StudyLink Cup will be met by the city’s councillors.
The StudyLink Cup has been endorsed by the 2006 Japan-Australia Year of Exchange Committee and its participants will by vying for a prize sponsored by the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
http://www.jufa-kansai.jp/about/06.07.14message.html (Japanese)
BUSINESS FRONT LINE / Broad worldview seen vital for MBA students
"If you're going to get an MBA, you had better have a global understanding. Otherwise, it's worthless...You've got to have significant knowledge about how the world works," says Clive Grafton, chair of the board of advisers at Anaheim University.
To achieve this end, many Japanese students have chosen to obtain their degrees at prestigious schools in countries such as the United States, the birthplace of the qualification. But for officials at Anaheim University, this line of thinking is a bit odd.
"The reason you're getting your MBA is to improve your career, so why would you take yourself out of the market for two or three years to improve your career? You have to start over, and sometimes the job you quit [to study abroad] is no longer available. It's a big risk," says Anaheim University Vice President Anthony Al-Jamie.
The California-based university offers an online MBA program, making it possible for students to receive the highly sought-after degree in just a year without having to go abroad or even set foot on campus.
"Online education is the fastest growing form of education in the world. It's becoming far more acceptable to traditional education, and it is just growing in leaps and bounds," says Grafton, who received his doctorate in education and master of science degree in management.
The Internet course, he continues, is a good way to achieve a global perspective as it allows students to study business in their own environment--i.e. their own country--while being encouraged to interact with other MBA candidates from around the world in a free exchange of ideas and cultural perspectives through e-mail.
In 1996, the university opened its Japanese campus, Anaheim University Akio Morita Learning Center. At about the same time the school opened, Grafton started to notice a significant change in the Japanese lifestyle. The Internet was becoming a popular communication tool, and every time he has visited Japan over the past decade he became more aware of just how rapidly communication technology was evolving.
Al-Jamie says there are many people who say, "Japanese don't want to study online, they want to study in a classroom."
"But that's changing quickly," he said.
This year, 100 people graduated from the Akio Morita School. Half of them were Japanese, with the remaining graduates mostly hailing from India and other English-speaking countries. Many of the students are already in leadership positions and are preparing to move up to more senior positions, he said.
In addition to benefiting from on-the-job experience, the two executives said, studying for an MBA online makes economic sense and provides an opportunity to acquire a global perspective.
Japanese companies used to send their employees abroad for their MBAs, which they would bring back to their firms, along with their newly acquired managerial skills, according to Al-Jamie.
This meant companies were responsible for paying tuition, living expenses, accommodation and salaries. But with years of recession bringing down the economy, it has become difficult for companies to continue the practice.
Even so, Al-Jamie says, it was not uncommon for new MBA holders to become more ambitious during their time overseas, choosing upon their return to move on to better companies or be headhunted by other firms.
"It actually costs a company out of pocket 25 million yen or 30 million yen to pay for the actual expenses. But when you [a company] get only half back, you have to double your cost. Every time you send 10 [employees]...and if only five come back, that means one person costs you 60 million yen," he said.
===
Learn the global way
The MBA qualification originated in the United States, but, according to Grafton, the knowledge gained through such programs should be applicable in any country in which an MBA candidate would choose to work.
If, for example, students opt to study in the United States, they will likely be assimilated into the American business style because they must set aside their own culture and way of thinking and attempt to learn how Americans do things--a way not always appreciated in other countries.
With Anaheim University's online class, international students can put business strategies learned in class into practice in their own environment and see how effective they are in the country where they do business, Grafton said.
He said he was surprised to see so few American cars in Tokyo.
"Some of the American automobile industries are in trouble because they lost the significant share, and they deserve it, because they did not approach the global market in an understanding way," said Grafton, saying U.S. carmakers were too confident their strategies would be effective outside the United States.
"Some people become arrogant...That is a fault of being too self-assured, of not really measuring what you're trying to accomplish," Grafton said. "A lot of MBAs...took their degree, but they did not have a global outlook."
Grafton says Japan has not being moving forward as quickly as it should have been compared to other Asian countries, such as South Korea or China. But, he says, it still controls a significant part of the market in some countries, although he added a warning that Japan should avoid the same pitfalls into which the United States blundered.
(Jul. 17, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20060717TDY08001.htm
To achieve this end, many Japanese students have chosen to obtain their degrees at prestigious schools in countries such as the United States, the birthplace of the qualification. But for officials at Anaheim University, this line of thinking is a bit odd.
"The reason you're getting your MBA is to improve your career, so why would you take yourself out of the market for two or three years to improve your career? You have to start over, and sometimes the job you quit [to study abroad] is no longer available. It's a big risk," says Anaheim University Vice President Anthony Al-Jamie.
The California-based university offers an online MBA program, making it possible for students to receive the highly sought-after degree in just a year without having to go abroad or even set foot on campus.
"Online education is the fastest growing form of education in the world. It's becoming far more acceptable to traditional education, and it is just growing in leaps and bounds," says Grafton, who received his doctorate in education and master of science degree in management.
The Internet course, he continues, is a good way to achieve a global perspective as it allows students to study business in their own environment--i.e. their own country--while being encouraged to interact with other MBA candidates from around the world in a free exchange of ideas and cultural perspectives through e-mail.
In 1996, the university opened its Japanese campus, Anaheim University Akio Morita Learning Center. At about the same time the school opened, Grafton started to notice a significant change in the Japanese lifestyle. The Internet was becoming a popular communication tool, and every time he has visited Japan over the past decade he became more aware of just how rapidly communication technology was evolving.
Al-Jamie says there are many people who say, "Japanese don't want to study online, they want to study in a classroom."
"But that's changing quickly," he said.
This year, 100 people graduated from the Akio Morita School. Half of them were Japanese, with the remaining graduates mostly hailing from India and other English-speaking countries. Many of the students are already in leadership positions and are preparing to move up to more senior positions, he said.
In addition to benefiting from on-the-job experience, the two executives said, studying for an MBA online makes economic sense and provides an opportunity to acquire a global perspective.
Japanese companies used to send their employees abroad for their MBAs, which they would bring back to their firms, along with their newly acquired managerial skills, according to Al-Jamie.
This meant companies were responsible for paying tuition, living expenses, accommodation and salaries. But with years of recession bringing down the economy, it has become difficult for companies to continue the practice.
Even so, Al-Jamie says, it was not uncommon for new MBA holders to become more ambitious during their time overseas, choosing upon their return to move on to better companies or be headhunted by other firms.
"It actually costs a company out of pocket 25 million yen or 30 million yen to pay for the actual expenses. But when you [a company] get only half back, you have to double your cost. Every time you send 10 [employees]...and if only five come back, that means one person costs you 60 million yen," he said.
===
Learn the global way
The MBA qualification originated in the United States, but, according to Grafton, the knowledge gained through such programs should be applicable in any country in which an MBA candidate would choose to work.
If, for example, students opt to study in the United States, they will likely be assimilated into the American business style because they must set aside their own culture and way of thinking and attempt to learn how Americans do things--a way not always appreciated in other countries.
With Anaheim University's online class, international students can put business strategies learned in class into practice in their own environment and see how effective they are in the country where they do business, Grafton said.
He said he was surprised to see so few American cars in Tokyo.
"Some of the American automobile industries are in trouble because they lost the significant share, and they deserve it, because they did not approach the global market in an understanding way," said Grafton, saying U.S. carmakers were too confident their strategies would be effective outside the United States.
"Some people become arrogant...That is a fault of being too self-assured, of not really measuring what you're trying to accomplish," Grafton said. "A lot of MBAs...took their degree, but they did not have a global outlook."
Grafton says Japan has not being moving forward as quickly as it should have been compared to other Asian countries, such as South Korea or China. But, he says, it still controls a significant part of the market in some countries, although he added a warning that Japan should avoid the same pitfalls into which the United States blundered.
(Jul. 17, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20060717TDY08001.htm
Britain to get new Japanese studies center in September
Efforts by Japan experts in Britain to boost Japanese studies in the country will bear fruit this September with the opening of the National Institute of Japanese Studies in the new White Rose East Asia Center.
"The subject is strategically important for our country," Glenn Hook, a professor at the University of Sheffield's School of East Asian Studies, said in a recent interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo. "We've often lost good students who decided to go overseas for postgraduate programs."
NIJS is part of WREAC together with the National Institute of Chinese Studies. The center will get £4 million from the government over the next five years. After it opens in September, WREAC will be managed jointly by the University of Sheffield and the University of Leeds.
Hook, who is the author of several books, including "Militarization and Demilitarization in Contemporary Japan," played a key role in getting the government funding to establish the institute.
The professor first became interested in Japan when studying the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their effects on international politics. He later studied at Osaka University of Foreign Studies and Chuo University.
He said Japanese studies in the U.K. have changed in recent years. Japanese studies reached their peak in popularity in Britain in the mid-1980s, with the robust economy in Japan leading Japanese companies to give money to academic institutions.
Japanese pop culture, including animation and video games, has lead to an interest in more traditional culture as well.
The University of Sheffield has 50 British students registered for its undergraduate Japanese studies course every year. However, at the postgraduate level, the majority of students are from overseas.
"What has tended to happen is that students finish their B.A. and go straight to the business world, because there wasn't enough funding to pursue an M.A. or Ph.D.," Hook said.
As money from Japanese companies has dried up, many universities began shutting down their East Asian studies departments, saying they were not cost efficient. Most recently, Durham University decided to close its department in 2007.
The £4 million for WREAC is a part of a £25 million British government-initiative to fund regional studies. The money is from the Higher Education Funding Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Scottish Funding Council.
The £25 million program is the the first time the British government has awarded academic funding through open competition.
Thirteen proposals from university groups were shortlisted for a final interview, and five groups were awarded the government funding in the end.
The initiative will also fund the British Interuniversity China Center, the University of Edinburgh's center of research for Arabic-speaking countries, University College London's center for East European and former Soviet Union language-based area studies, and a research center focused on Eastern Europe at the University of Glasgow.
Speaking about how the government gave combined funding to NICS and the British Interuniversity China Center, Hook said that while China has grown in importance, Japanese studies have not lost their significance.
"Japan is still the second-largest economy in the world and an extremely important partner to the U.K.," Hook said, noting the two nations share similar views. "People should recognize the continuing importance of Japan in the world.
"We were very keen to have a strong governance structure involving international advisory boards, and also include representatives of the community," Hook said of the funding proposal for NIJS. He also said the University of Sheffield, founded in the early 1960s, had the advantage of having "trained Ph.D. students for many years."
About four new students will be welcomed annually to WREAC. Applicants, restricted to European Union citizens, must have expertise in their areas of study as well applicable language abilities.
Participants in the program will be able to take advantage of the center's links with more than 30 universities in China and Japan, including the University of Tokyo.
"We've always lacked the ability to enable the students to continue their studies, but the new funding will be a great opportunity," Hook said.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060715f1.html
"The subject is strategically important for our country," Glenn Hook, a professor at the University of Sheffield's School of East Asian Studies, said in a recent interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo. "We've often lost good students who decided to go overseas for postgraduate programs."
NIJS is part of WREAC together with the National Institute of Chinese Studies. The center will get £4 million from the government over the next five years. After it opens in September, WREAC will be managed jointly by the University of Sheffield and the University of Leeds.
Hook, who is the author of several books, including "Militarization and Demilitarization in Contemporary Japan," played a key role in getting the government funding to establish the institute.
The professor first became interested in Japan when studying the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their effects on international politics. He later studied at Osaka University of Foreign Studies and Chuo University.
He said Japanese studies in the U.K. have changed in recent years. Japanese studies reached their peak in popularity in Britain in the mid-1980s, with the robust economy in Japan leading Japanese companies to give money to academic institutions.
Japanese pop culture, including animation and video games, has lead to an interest in more traditional culture as well.
The University of Sheffield has 50 British students registered for its undergraduate Japanese studies course every year. However, at the postgraduate level, the majority of students are from overseas.
"What has tended to happen is that students finish their B.A. and go straight to the business world, because there wasn't enough funding to pursue an M.A. or Ph.D.," Hook said.
As money from Japanese companies has dried up, many universities began shutting down their East Asian studies departments, saying they were not cost efficient. Most recently, Durham University decided to close its department in 2007.
The £4 million for WREAC is a part of a £25 million British government-initiative to fund regional studies. The money is from the Higher Education Funding Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Scottish Funding Council.
The £25 million program is the the first time the British government has awarded academic funding through open competition.
Thirteen proposals from university groups were shortlisted for a final interview, and five groups were awarded the government funding in the end.
The initiative will also fund the British Interuniversity China Center, the University of Edinburgh's center of research for Arabic-speaking countries, University College London's center for East European and former Soviet Union language-based area studies, and a research center focused on Eastern Europe at the University of Glasgow.
Speaking about how the government gave combined funding to NICS and the British Interuniversity China Center, Hook said that while China has grown in importance, Japanese studies have not lost their significance.
"Japan is still the second-largest economy in the world and an extremely important partner to the U.K.," Hook said, noting the two nations share similar views. "People should recognize the continuing importance of Japan in the world.
"We were very keen to have a strong governance structure involving international advisory boards, and also include representatives of the community," Hook said of the funding proposal for NIJS. He also said the University of Sheffield, founded in the early 1960s, had the advantage of having "trained Ph.D. students for many years."
About four new students will be welcomed annually to WREAC. Applicants, restricted to European Union citizens, must have expertise in their areas of study as well applicable language abilities.
Participants in the program will be able to take advantage of the center's links with more than 30 universities in China and Japan, including the University of Tokyo.
"We've always lacked the ability to enable the students to continue their studies, but the new funding will be a great opportunity," Hook said.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060715f1.html
Private universities tie up with high schools
Private universities are scrambling to form tie-ups with junior and senior high schools to secure future students--and survival--amid the falling birthrate, school officials said.
Some universities are tying up with schools other than their affiliates, including public schools, to make up for the shrinking enrollment, they said.
Under certain conditions, private universities will grant admission to students from affiliated schools without having them take admission exams, giving the students an easier route to a college education, the officials said.
Chuo University High School, a private school affiliated with Chuo University, and adjacent Daisan (No. 3) Junior High School, a public school run by Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, are working out a tie-up contract.
Under the plan, which would mark the first such contract between private and public schools, at least 10 or more students at the Daisan Junior High School can enroll at Chuo University High School without taking the entrance examination. The new system is expected to start from the 2009 school year.
Since almost all students at the private high school who meet the necessary conditions can enroll at Chuo University, the new system will give qualified students at Daisan Junior High School entry into Chuo University without any admission exams.
The junior high school has 95 students.
The tie-ups are more common in the Kansai region.
Kwansei Gakuin University, a private university based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, formed an affiliation with three junior and senior high schools in January.
Those secondary schools in the 2007 academic year will introduce classes designed for enrollment at the university. The students who pass those classes will, in principle, be allowed to attend the university.
Similar deals were struck with several other junior and senior high schools.
Kyoto Sangyo University reached agreement in March to make Kyoto Seian Junior and Senior High schools its affiliates starting next April.(IHT/Asahi: July 13,2006
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200607130149.html
Some universities are tying up with schools other than their affiliates, including public schools, to make up for the shrinking enrollment, they said.
Under certain conditions, private universities will grant admission to students from affiliated schools without having them take admission exams, giving the students an easier route to a college education, the officials said.
Chuo University High School, a private school affiliated with Chuo University, and adjacent Daisan (No. 3) Junior High School, a public school run by Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, are working out a tie-up contract.
Under the plan, which would mark the first such contract between private and public schools, at least 10 or more students at the Daisan Junior High School can enroll at Chuo University High School without taking the entrance examination. The new system is expected to start from the 2009 school year.
Since almost all students at the private high school who meet the necessary conditions can enroll at Chuo University, the new system will give qualified students at Daisan Junior High School entry into Chuo University without any admission exams.
The junior high school has 95 students.
The tie-ups are more common in the Kansai region.
Kwansei Gakuin University, a private university based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, formed an affiliation with three junior and senior high schools in January.
Those secondary schools in the 2007 academic year will introduce classes designed for enrollment at the university. The students who pass those classes will, in principle, be allowed to attend the university.
Similar deals were struck with several other junior and senior high schools.
Kyoto Sangyo University reached agreement in March to make Kyoto Seian Junior and Senior High schools its affiliates starting next April.(IHT/Asahi: July 13,2006
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200607130149.html
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
2006 Japan-Australia StudyLink Cup match times
Current 2006 Japan-Australia StudyLink Cup Match times (Please watch this space):
8/9 3pm Game 1 vs. RMIT Redbacks at Bob Jane Stadium
8/10 4pm Game 2 vs. University of Melbourne - location to be confirmed
8/11 7pm Game 3 vs. Victoria Institute of Sport at the Darebin International Sports Centre.
Please send any questions to joshua.flannery@studylink.com
StudyLink scores a goal for cultural exchange
As World Cup fever takes hold, Japanese and Australian university students are preparing to go head to head on the soccer pitch to mark the Year of Exchange between the two countries. The StudyLink Cup will see a team of 23 Japanese university students, selected and sponsored by the Kansai Student Soccer Federation, fly to Melbourne for a soccer tour of several Australian universities. The event is to also celebrate the Osaka-Melbourne sister city relationship - the Kansai team players being based in and around Osaka city.
International student recruitment firm StudyLink organised the inaugural tournament to promote sport, language and cultural exchange. StudyLink CEO Jason Howard said: “We’re committed to bringing students together and promoting understanding through education. What better way to initiate this than through sport?”
The RMIT University will host the Japanese team during its August 7 to 12 stay. While in Melbourne the team will play the RMIT Redbacks, the University of Melbourne team, and the budding national team-members of the Victorian Institute of Sport. RMIT will provide accommodation for the visitors and, with 200 of the university’s students learning Japanese, there will be no shortage of people to host, guide and socialise with the team. The school has also invited the team into their language class to enjoy a discussion about soccer and the World Cup.
Melbourne City International has organised a lunch at the Melbourne Town Hall on August 10 where the Japanese players and others involved in the StudyLink Cup will be met by the city’s councillors. The StudyLink Cup has been endorsed by the 2006 Japan-Australia Year of Exchange Committee and its participants will by vying for a prize sponsored by the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
8/9 3pm Game 1 vs. RMIT Redbacks at Bob Jane Stadium
8/10 4pm Game 2 vs. University of Melbourne - location to be confirmed
8/11 7pm Game 3 vs. Victoria Institute of Sport at the Darebin International Sports Centre.
Please send any questions to joshua.flannery@studylink.com
StudyLink scores a goal for cultural exchange
As World Cup fever takes hold, Japanese and Australian university students are preparing to go head to head on the soccer pitch to mark the Year of Exchange between the two countries. The StudyLink Cup will see a team of 23 Japanese university students, selected and sponsored by the Kansai Student Soccer Federation, fly to Melbourne for a soccer tour of several Australian universities. The event is to also celebrate the Osaka-Melbourne sister city relationship - the Kansai team players being based in and around Osaka city.
International student recruitment firm StudyLink organised the inaugural tournament to promote sport, language and cultural exchange. StudyLink CEO Jason Howard said: “We’re committed to bringing students together and promoting understanding through education. What better way to initiate this than through sport?”
The RMIT University will host the Japanese team during its August 7 to 12 stay. While in Melbourne the team will play the RMIT Redbacks, the University of Melbourne team, and the budding national team-members of the Victorian Institute of Sport. RMIT will provide accommodation for the visitors and, with 200 of the university’s students learning Japanese, there will be no shortage of people to host, guide and socialise with the team. The school has also invited the team into their language class to enjoy a discussion about soccer and the World Cup.
Melbourne City International has organised a lunch at the Melbourne Town Hall on August 10 where the Japanese players and others involved in the StudyLink Cup will be met by the city’s councillors. The StudyLink Cup has been endorsed by the 2006 Japan-Australia Year of Exchange Committee and its participants will by vying for a prize sponsored by the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
Japan offers scholarships to Indian students
Japan offers scholarships to Indian students
Mumbai, July 1 (UNI)
The Government of Japan is offering scholarships to Indian students for the academic year 2007 under the Japanese Government (Mombukagakusho:MEXT) scholarship programme.
Indian students, who wish to study in Japanese universities as undergraduate students, technology students or professional training college students, can avail the programme, a press release issued by the office of the Consulate General of Japan here said.
The scholarships for engineering students are for a period of four years, whereas professional training college students in the field of civil, electrical and electronics engineering including architecture, telecommunication, nutrition, infant education, secretarial studies, hotel management, tourism, fashion, dressmaking, design, and photography is for three years.
The candidates should be between 17-21 years of age as on April 1, 2007 and must have completed a 12-year course of school education with a minimum of 65 per cent marks in aggregate.
Applicants should also be willing to learn the Japanese language and to receive university education in it, the release said.The scholarship will be 134,000 yen per month, which is subject to change. The last date for applying is July 14, 2006. Further information can be accessed on www.in.emb-japan.go.jp.
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG3_sub.asp?ccode=ENG3&newscode=142798
Mumbai, July 1 (UNI)
The Government of Japan is offering scholarships to Indian students for the academic year 2007 under the Japanese Government (Mombukagakusho:MEXT) scholarship programme.
Indian students, who wish to study in Japanese universities as undergraduate students, technology students or professional training college students, can avail the programme, a press release issued by the office of the Consulate General of Japan here said.
The scholarships for engineering students are for a period of four years, whereas professional training college students in the field of civil, electrical and electronics engineering including architecture, telecommunication, nutrition, infant education, secretarial studies, hotel management, tourism, fashion, dressmaking, design, and photography is for three years.
The candidates should be between 17-21 years of age as on April 1, 2007 and must have completed a 12-year course of school education with a minimum of 65 per cent marks in aggregate.
Applicants should also be willing to learn the Japanese language and to receive university education in it, the release said.The scholarship will be 134,000 yen per month, which is subject to change. The last date for applying is July 14, 2006. Further information can be accessed on www.in.emb-japan.go.jp.
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG3_sub.asp?ccode=ENG3&newscode=142798
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Breakfast--a great way to start the college day
Several universities and the cooperatives that run their dining halls are experimenting with methods to get their students to eat breakfast, such as a "mileage point" system or free breakfast campaigns.
Such ideas are working rather well for the students--not only in making the morning meal a habit, but also in expanding their circle of friends.
Beginning this academic year, the cooperative at Miyagi University of Education in Sendai started a breakfast promotion program called "breakfast marathon."
Under the program, students can collect one point by buying breakfast at the cafeteria run by the cooperative. With five points, they receive a small side dish normally priced at 60 yen. With 10 points, they receive a side of rice and miso soup, and 15 points gets them a 400 yen meal.
Furthermore, the cooperative ran a campaign through late May, in which students were awarded double points when they ate breakfast at the cafeteria in a group of two or more.
University junior Naoki Takahashi collected 15 points in April alone. During the month, he had breakfast at the cafeteria 10 times, five of which were each with a different friend.
"I live on my own, so it's nice to eat with my friends," Takahashi, 21, said. "The points turn into meals, so I can save my living expenses, too."
The cooperative began serving breakfast at the refectory in April 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. At first, however, only about 10 people came each day.
"So we thought we needed a system that would make it fun and advantageous to have breakfast at the dining hall," Takao Tamura, a senior cooperative executive, said.
Since beginning the "breakfast marathon," the number of students eating breakfast in the school's dining hall has jumped fivefold.
At Hakuoh University in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, students have been receiving breakfast for free at the student refectory during part of April for the past six years. The idea is to get students to eat regularly and have a more stable lifestyle. Between April 11 and April 28 this year, about 500 students took advantage of the free breakfast each day.
And at Tottori University, freshmen can have free breakfast for several days immediately after matriculating into the university. This year, they received the gratis meal from April 10 to April 14. Other students and faculty members participated in the program as counselors to offer advice to the freshmen about student life.
According to a survey on students conducted every year by the federation of university cooperatives in Tokyo, 61 percent of students living away from their parents said they do not eat breakfast. Many students also are not getting a balanced diet.
And according to a first-of-its-kind survey in 2005 by the Consumer Cooperative Institute of Japan in Tokyo of about 7,000 students, the number of students claiming they become tired easily was in correlation with the number of students who said they do not regularly eat breakfast. Only about 20 percent of students said they enjoy having breakfast, presumably because they tend to have breakfast alone.
"Even if you are aware and informed about how to protect your health, most of the time you can't do so because it takes money and time," said Ichiro Nishimura, who was in charge of the survey. "It's important to support universities and university cooperatives so that students can have a lively campus life."
(Jun. 19, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060619TDY03001.htm
Such ideas are working rather well for the students--not only in making the morning meal a habit, but also in expanding their circle of friends.
Beginning this academic year, the cooperative at Miyagi University of Education in Sendai started a breakfast promotion program called "breakfast marathon."
Under the program, students can collect one point by buying breakfast at the cafeteria run by the cooperative. With five points, they receive a small side dish normally priced at 60 yen. With 10 points, they receive a side of rice and miso soup, and 15 points gets them a 400 yen meal.
Furthermore, the cooperative ran a campaign through late May, in which students were awarded double points when they ate breakfast at the cafeteria in a group of two or more.
University junior Naoki Takahashi collected 15 points in April alone. During the month, he had breakfast at the cafeteria 10 times, five of which were each with a different friend.
"I live on my own, so it's nice to eat with my friends," Takahashi, 21, said. "The points turn into meals, so I can save my living expenses, too."
The cooperative began serving breakfast at the refectory in April 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. At first, however, only about 10 people came each day.
"So we thought we needed a system that would make it fun and advantageous to have breakfast at the dining hall," Takao Tamura, a senior cooperative executive, said.
Since beginning the "breakfast marathon," the number of students eating breakfast in the school's dining hall has jumped fivefold.
At Hakuoh University in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, students have been receiving breakfast for free at the student refectory during part of April for the past six years. The idea is to get students to eat regularly and have a more stable lifestyle. Between April 11 and April 28 this year, about 500 students took advantage of the free breakfast each day.
And at Tottori University, freshmen can have free breakfast for several days immediately after matriculating into the university. This year, they received the gratis meal from April 10 to April 14. Other students and faculty members participated in the program as counselors to offer advice to the freshmen about student life.
According to a survey on students conducted every year by the federation of university cooperatives in Tokyo, 61 percent of students living away from their parents said they do not eat breakfast. Many students also are not getting a balanced diet.
And according to a first-of-its-kind survey in 2005 by the Consumer Cooperative Institute of Japan in Tokyo of about 7,000 students, the number of students claiming they become tired easily was in correlation with the number of students who said they do not regularly eat breakfast. Only about 20 percent of students said they enjoy having breakfast, presumably because they tend to have breakfast alone.
"Even if you are aware and informed about how to protect your health, most of the time you can't do so because it takes money and time," said Ichiro Nishimura, who was in charge of the survey. "It's important to support universities and university cooperatives so that students can have a lively campus life."
(Jun. 19, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060619TDY03001.htm
New farm skills training course a flop with NEETs
It seems the promise of important job skills and fresh country air are not enough to lure the nation's growing NEET and "freeter" population into action.
In fact, only six people have applied to take part in a farm skills training program recently set up by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The program offers three separate farm training courses for NEETs, or people not in education, employment or training, and freeters, young people who hop from one part-time job to another.
The idea was to have participants take up farm internships while studying management and agricultural production engineering for up to six months, thereby solving the NEET dilemma and at the same time boosting the dwindling rural workforce.
Ministry officials calculated 120 people a year would take part in the "Challenge! Farm School" program annually.
The three- to six- month courses slated to have started at separate locations in Ibaraki and Nagano prefectures in April. Officials are now scrambling to make up numbers.
As well as sending brochures to unemployment offices nationwide, they are also offering the course to prospective workers on a trial basis for one to six days.
According to a number of nonprofit organizations that work with young people, the high price tag of the courses, as well as the length, is most likely where the ministry went wrong.
The six-month program costs about 570,000 yen.(IHT/Asahi: June 12,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200606120105.html
In fact, only six people have applied to take part in a farm skills training program recently set up by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The program offers three separate farm training courses for NEETs, or people not in education, employment or training, and freeters, young people who hop from one part-time job to another.
The idea was to have participants take up farm internships while studying management and agricultural production engineering for up to six months, thereby solving the NEET dilemma and at the same time boosting the dwindling rural workforce.
Ministry officials calculated 120 people a year would take part in the "Challenge! Farm School" program annually.
The three- to six- month courses slated to have started at separate locations in Ibaraki and Nagano prefectures in April. Officials are now scrambling to make up numbers.
As well as sending brochures to unemployment offices nationwide, they are also offering the course to prospective workers on a trial basis for one to six days.
According to a number of nonprofit organizations that work with young people, the high price tag of the courses, as well as the length, is most likely where the ministry went wrong.
The six-month program costs about 570,000 yen.(IHT/Asahi: June 12,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200606120105.html
Friday, June 16, 2006
Minato Ward, Temple to foster intl awareness
Minato Ward, Tokyo, and Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ), have concluded a basic agreement to collaborate in a series of projects to foster international understanding and cross-cultural communication.
Since its opening in 1982 as a full-scale branch campus of the Pennsylvania state university, TUJ has been based in Minato Ward.
During a signing ceremony held at the end of last month at TUJ, Minato Ward Mayor Masaaki Takei said his ward had formed a partnership with the institution to offer better services as "one of the nation's richest municipalities in terms of internationalism." The ward has many foreign residents from various countries as there are numerous foreign embassies and international firms located there.
Under the agreement, the two sides will offer their knowledge, services and resources to each other in the fields of education, culture and community development.
For example, TUJ will offer two programs to local public schools during its summer vacation--a seminar on English teaching for teachers as well as a summer program for middle school students. TUJ will also dispatch its students and instructors to primary and middle schools as assistants for classes on cross-cultural communication.
Moreover, the Japan campus will offer some academic services to local residents and ward officials. These will include classes in English and Japanese, such as a training program for ward officials to brush up their English skills. They will also be able to take courses at TUJ at discounted rates.
At the same time, the Minato Ward office will allow those studying and working at TUJ to use the ward's sports facilities at discounted rates, as the campus does not have such facilities of its own.
The two sides have also agreed to make their libraries available to each other, while also dispatching students or ward officials and teachers to each other as interns or trainees for the purpose of human resource development.
"We hope to provide opportunities for those who live and work in Minato [Ward] to acquire the communication skills necessary to be truly global citizens," said TUJ Dean Kirk Patterson.
(Jun. 9, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20060609TDY20001.htm
Since its opening in 1982 as a full-scale branch campus of the Pennsylvania state university, TUJ has been based in Minato Ward.
During a signing ceremony held at the end of last month at TUJ, Minato Ward Mayor Masaaki Takei said his ward had formed a partnership with the institution to offer better services as "one of the nation's richest municipalities in terms of internationalism." The ward has many foreign residents from various countries as there are numerous foreign embassies and international firms located there.
Under the agreement, the two sides will offer their knowledge, services and resources to each other in the fields of education, culture and community development.
For example, TUJ will offer two programs to local public schools during its summer vacation--a seminar on English teaching for teachers as well as a summer program for middle school students. TUJ will also dispatch its students and instructors to primary and middle schools as assistants for classes on cross-cultural communication.
Moreover, the Japan campus will offer some academic services to local residents and ward officials. These will include classes in English and Japanese, such as a training program for ward officials to brush up their English skills. They will also be able to take courses at TUJ at discounted rates.
At the same time, the Minato Ward office will allow those studying and working at TUJ to use the ward's sports facilities at discounted rates, as the campus does not have such facilities of its own.
The two sides have also agreed to make their libraries available to each other, while also dispatching students or ward officials and teachers to each other as interns or trainees for the purpose of human resource development.
"We hope to provide opportunities for those who live and work in Minato [Ward] to acquire the communication skills necessary to be truly global citizens," said TUJ Dean Kirk Patterson.
(Jun. 9, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20060609TDY20001.htm
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Toyota International Teacher Program Sends US Teachers to Japan
40 Educational Ambassadors Participate in Study Tour
TORRANCE, Calif., June 1 -- 40 U.S. teachers, chosen as educational ambassadors through the Toyota International Teacher Program (TITP), will spend two rigorous weeks this June traveling through rural and urban Japan from Tokyo to northern Kyushu. Now in its 8th year, the program sends teachers on a study tour to learn about Japan's past and present, explore global issues and experience this significant culture firsthand. This unique experience has distinguished the TITP program as one of the preeminent teacher study-abroad programs in the country for American teachers.
Since its inception, TITP has attracted interest from more than 4,000 teachers who have submitted applications. This year, the delegation of teachers represent 10 US states -- Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Tennessee. They will bring their unique perspectives to those they meet in Japan and upon their return to the U.S. share insights from their Japan experience with their students.
"In many ways, teachers are catalysts in the global community and are in a unique position to educate students on the world in which we live," said Michael Rouse, corporate manager, philanthropy and community affairs, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "We are proud to provide teachers with a first-hand experience that helps enhance their curriculum through international study."
Funded through an annual $825,000 grant from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the program is the only one of its kind sponsored by a major U.S. corporation. To date, a total of 360 teachers from all over the U.S. have participated in the 8 year-old program. This year's trip to Japan will take place June 23 through July 5.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) in Washington, D.C., the nation's most experienced non-profit educational exchange organization, administers the program. "The Toyota International Teacher Program provides teachers with experiences and tools they can use to enable their students to think and act on a cooperative and global basis," said IIE President and CEO Dr. Allan E. Goodman.
The study tour to Japan is the first of three professional development programs for teachers that Toyota will sponsor in the next year. The next study tour will be to the Galapagos Islands this October. The selection process for this program is currently underway, including applications from many bilingual educators. In March 2007, another international professional development opportunity will be offered in Costa Rica. TITP is proud that these three distinct study-abroad programs will enable U.S. teachers to enhance their curricula through meaningful interaction with a variety of people, cultures and environments.
TITP in Japan focuses on four themes -- history, education, environment, and technology -- and how these affect industry and society. Program activities include visits to elementary, secondary and university level schools, factories, and sites of historical and environmental importance and will be highlighted by discussions with well-known authors, historians, educators and business leaders.
The 40 educators traveling to Japan this summer teach a variety of subjects and were selected based on their professional and leadership qualifications, as well as their plans to incorporate their experiences and research into their curriculum. To be eligible teachers must be a U.S. citizen, employed full-time as a secondary classroom teacher (grades 9-12), and have a minimum of three years teaching experience.
Japan TITP program alumni Daniel Bryant and Cindy Hasselbring, will return to Japan as "Traveling Alumni" to help mentor members of the new group, as well as extend their own previous TITP experience.
TITP demonstrates the company's long-standing commitment to supporting education. In 2005, Toyota USA contributed nearly $41 million to U.S. philanthropic programs, with a majority of funding supporting education. Besides donating to a wide range of educational organizations, Toyota has created its own innovative programs, including grants for science teachers, scholarships for students, technical training and family literacy programs.
Founded in 1957, TMS is the sales, marketing, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,415 dealers in 49 states.
About Toyota's Education Programs
In addition to sponsoring a number of nonprofit educational organizations, Toyota offers three major programs that support teachers with grants and students with scholarships; Toyota TAPESTRY, the largest K-12 science teacher grant program of its kind in the U.S.; Toyota Community Scholars, which provides 100 scholarships to high school seniors based on academics and community service; and the Toyota International Teacher Program. Toyota also supports scholarships through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund; United Negro College Fund; Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation; National FFA; and the American Indian College Fund.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/06/01/009317.html
TORRANCE, Calif., June 1 -- 40 U.S. teachers, chosen as educational ambassadors through the Toyota International Teacher Program (TITP), will spend two rigorous weeks this June traveling through rural and urban Japan from Tokyo to northern Kyushu. Now in its 8th year, the program sends teachers on a study tour to learn about Japan's past and present, explore global issues and experience this significant culture firsthand. This unique experience has distinguished the TITP program as one of the preeminent teacher study-abroad programs in the country for American teachers.
Since its inception, TITP has attracted interest from more than 4,000 teachers who have submitted applications. This year, the delegation of teachers represent 10 US states -- Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Tennessee. They will bring their unique perspectives to those they meet in Japan and upon their return to the U.S. share insights from their Japan experience with their students.
"In many ways, teachers are catalysts in the global community and are in a unique position to educate students on the world in which we live," said Michael Rouse, corporate manager, philanthropy and community affairs, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "We are proud to provide teachers with a first-hand experience that helps enhance their curriculum through international study."
Funded through an annual $825,000 grant from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the program is the only one of its kind sponsored by a major U.S. corporation. To date, a total of 360 teachers from all over the U.S. have participated in the 8 year-old program. This year's trip to Japan will take place June 23 through July 5.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) in Washington, D.C., the nation's most experienced non-profit educational exchange organization, administers the program. "The Toyota International Teacher Program provides teachers with experiences and tools they can use to enable their students to think and act on a cooperative and global basis," said IIE President and CEO Dr. Allan E. Goodman.
The study tour to Japan is the first of three professional development programs for teachers that Toyota will sponsor in the next year. The next study tour will be to the Galapagos Islands this October. The selection process for this program is currently underway, including applications from many bilingual educators. In March 2007, another international professional development opportunity will be offered in Costa Rica. TITP is proud that these three distinct study-abroad programs will enable U.S. teachers to enhance their curricula through meaningful interaction with a variety of people, cultures and environments.
TITP in Japan focuses on four themes -- history, education, environment, and technology -- and how these affect industry and society. Program activities include visits to elementary, secondary and university level schools, factories, and sites of historical and environmental importance and will be highlighted by discussions with well-known authors, historians, educators and business leaders.
The 40 educators traveling to Japan this summer teach a variety of subjects and were selected based on their professional and leadership qualifications, as well as their plans to incorporate their experiences and research into their curriculum. To be eligible teachers must be a U.S. citizen, employed full-time as a secondary classroom teacher (grades 9-12), and have a minimum of three years teaching experience.
Japan TITP program alumni Daniel Bryant and Cindy Hasselbring, will return to Japan as "Traveling Alumni" to help mentor members of the new group, as well as extend their own previous TITP experience.
TITP demonstrates the company's long-standing commitment to supporting education. In 2005, Toyota USA contributed nearly $41 million to U.S. philanthropic programs, with a majority of funding supporting education. Besides donating to a wide range of educational organizations, Toyota has created its own innovative programs, including grants for science teachers, scholarships for students, technical training and family literacy programs.
Founded in 1957, TMS is the sales, marketing, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,415 dealers in 49 states.
About Toyota's Education Programs
In addition to sponsoring a number of nonprofit educational organizations, Toyota offers three major programs that support teachers with grants and students with scholarships; Toyota TAPESTRY, the largest K-12 science teacher grant program of its kind in the U.S.; Toyota Community Scholars, which provides 100 scholarships to high school seniors based on academics and community service; and the Toyota International Teacher Program. Toyota also supports scholarships through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund; United Negro College Fund; Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation; National FFA; and the American Indian College Fund.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/06/01/009317.html
Monday, May 22, 2006
National tour guide exam to be held overseas
The Construction and Transport Ministry is to hold a tour guide license examination overseas for the first time.
The first-stage written examination for the multilingual national tour guide license will be held in China, Taiwan and South Korea in early September at the same time as the test is taken in Japan.
The examination will be held in Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul and Taipei. The second-stage oral test will be held only in Japan.
In 2004, of the foreign tourists who visited Japan, 32.5 percent were from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. South Korean holidaymakers accounted for 25.9 percent of tourists.
However, only 9.2 percent of certified tour guides are licensed in Chinese and a mere 4.5 percent in Korean, forcing the government to train more qualified Chinese- and Korean-speaking guides.
(May. 22, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060522TDY02010.htm
The first-stage written examination for the multilingual national tour guide license will be held in China, Taiwan and South Korea in early September at the same time as the test is taken in Japan.
The examination will be held in Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul and Taipei. The second-stage oral test will be held only in Japan.
In 2004, of the foreign tourists who visited Japan, 32.5 percent were from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. South Korean holidaymakers accounted for 25.9 percent of tourists.
However, only 9.2 percent of certified tour guides are licensed in Chinese and a mere 4.5 percent in Korean, forcing the government to train more qualified Chinese- and Korean-speaking guides.
(May. 22, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060522TDY02010.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
