PART II Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture
Chapter 10. Internationalization of Education, Culture, and Sports
Section 5. Global Expansion of Japanese Language Education
1. Growing Enthusiasm for Japanese Language Learning
The rise in Japan's international status and the expansion of international exchange between Japan and other countries has been reflected in recent years in the growing number of people learning Japanese. A 1993 survey by the Japan Foundation indicated that approximately 1.5 million people in other countries were learning Japanese, while a survey conducted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in November 1993 indicated that about 77,000 foreign nationals were learning Japanese in Japan ( Figure II.10.5 ).
Learning a foreign language leads to a deeper interest in the culture of the country or countries where that language is spoken, thereby contributing to closer friendship among people of different countries. Japan must therefore respond to the growth in the number of people learning Japanese both in Japan and other countries, and to the diversification of their learning objectives, by expanding Japanese language education.
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