Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > Japanese Government Policies in Education, Science, Sports and Culture 2000 > Part 1 Chapter 3 Section 5 4

Until now, Japanese language education in Japan has been carried out by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the National Language Research Institute, educational institutions such as universities, the Association of International Education, Japan, the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education, and Japanese language institutes, and abroad by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japan Foundation and the Japan International Cooperation Agency etc. In addition, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare and other institutions are carrying out Japanese language education in their respective fields, and more effective and efficient promotion of Japanese language education policies will become necessary. Concerning Japanese language education, new measures to deal with the increasing number of students of the Japanese language will be needed in various fields, such as the training of teachers, improvement of educational content and methods, and development of teaching materials. Also, research on Japanese language education is as importance as Japanese language education itself, as it forms the basis of educational policy planning and Japanese language education. Research on the subject is being carried out in Japan at the National Language Research Institute and national universities.

With the rapid spread of the Internet and other media, it has become necessary to establish a network for the collection and provision of information concerning Japanese language education and for collaboration amongst those who are engaged in Japanese language education. In order to realize this, close collaboration between relevant ministries and institutions will become more important.

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which measures and certifies the Japanese language ability of non-native persons, and the Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test, which judges the knowledge and ability of Japanese language teachers, are both attracting a great number of people, and these exams are utilized as proof of achievement by students of Japanese and people wishing to become Japanese language teachers. Therefore, continuous improvement in the content of both tests is needed. Concerning the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, some people are pointing out the need to review the composition of the test and criteria for certification of respective levels. Concerning the Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test, reviews are underway regarding the scope and the level of the examination.

In addition, the promotion of Japanese studies is of utmost importance in deepening foreign countries' understanding of Japan. The Japan Foundation has been dispatching visiting professors to universities overseas to enrich Japanese study courses, providing financial support for the operation of core research institutions, inviting young foreign researchers to Japan, and providing scholarships to outstanding students.

Further, the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, which is an inter-university research institute, has been making efforts to send out information on Japanese studies overseas and promote exchanges with research institutions abroad through the organization of international colloquiums, in order to further develop Japanese studies abroad, as well as to carry out international, interdisciplinary and comprehensive studies on Japanese culture.

Spread of the Japanese language combined with active research activities on Japanese culture and society at academic research institutions in foreign countries indicates a growing number of people with a good understanding of Japan. Therefore, the government is planning to continue to actively support Japanese studies abroad.