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PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture

Along with the elevation of Japan's position in the international community and the development of international exchange, foreigners who study the Japanese language both in Japan and abroad are rapidly increasing in number.

The number of foreigners studying Japanese in Japan was about 63,000 in 1991. This figure represents a three times increase over the previous ten years. The number of foreigners studying Japanese in foreign countries was estimated at 980,000 in 1990 which is about a 2.5 times increase over the previous ten years.

The goals of foreigners for studying Japanese are diversifying; they are no longer limited to Japanese studies or general study in Japan but now include the acquisition of Japanese business and technological skills as well as preparations for employment in Japanese business firms.

In November 1990, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture created a Consultative Committee on Measures for the Promotion of the Teaching of the Japanese Language which is conducting investigations on promoting measures for present and future Japanese language education for foreigners.

With the growing demand for Japanese language education there has been an increase in the number of Japanese language institutes. In order to help improve the quality of these institutes, the Ministry established a consultative committee which drew up "National Standards for the Operation of Japanese Language Institutes" in December of 1988. Moreover, the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education began its work in May 1989 and this Association has since been accrediting Japanese language institutes in accordance with these standards. The Association is also compiling a catalogue of Japanese language institutes and carrying out various projects related to research and development of Japanese language teaching materials.

With a view to helping improve the pre-service training of teachers of Japanese as well as the quality of these teachers, the Ministry has been reinforcing university courses for their training. Also, through the Japan International Education Association, the Ministry annually administers a nation-wide "Qualifying Examination for the Teaching of Japanese to Foreigners." The Ministry endeavors to promote various measures for improving relevant teaching methods, and to conduct research for the development of appropriate teaching materials. Further, every year the Ministry administers a "Japanese Language Proficiency Test for Foreigners" both within Japan and abroad. It is also committed to the teaching of Japanese to returnees from extended stays in China, as well as to Indo-Chinese refugees.

During recent years an increasing number of secondary school students overseas have shown an interest in learning Japanese. In order to cope with this demand, in 1990 the Government launched a "Program for Regional and Educational Exchanges for Mutual Understanding" (abbreviated as the REX Program) under which Japanese secondary school teachers are sent abroad to serve as Japanese language teachers at secondary schools overseas.

Also, recently, at Japanese elementary and lower secondary schools there are an increasing number of children from foreign countries who need help in learning Japanese. In order to deal with this situation, the Ministry is taking measures to promote the creation of Japanese language teaching materials and increase the number of teachers to be allocated in order to facilitate Japanese language teaching for these children.