National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN May 30, 2020
COVID-19 reminds us what everyday words such as 'viral' really mean
by Michael Hoffman
Will the global pandemic prompt us into changing the way we speak?
National | Regional Voices: Hiroshima May 22, 2020
Language barrier hampers flow of virus info to Hiroshima's foreign residents
Although the city’s website is equipped with a language-switch option, the question remains as to how many residents know about it.
Commentary / Japan May 16, 2020
Bad English in Japan: A conspiracy theory
by Glenn Newman
There is no rational reason why Japan's English-language education should be so woeful. Could something sinister be going on?
National May 16, 2020
Language schools struggling to survive as virus keeps students out of Japan
Many of the approximately 800 Japanese-language schools are struggling because they can't get new students due to the virus.
National / Social Issues May 13, 2020
Virus cuts off educational support for Japan's children of foreign descent
Teachers and support staff face funding and communication difficulties in efforts to teach students with limited Japanese skills.
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Apr 11, 2020
COVID-19 spurs debate over loanwords
by Philip Brasor
During her March 25 news conference, which was held to address a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in the capital, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike used visual aids and a script filled with foreign loanwords to convince residents that they should stay at home so ...
Business / Corporate | Regional voices: Chubu Apr 10, 2020
As pandemic hits conferences, Aichi firm launches remote interpretation services
As the business environment continues to be affected by the spread of COVID-19, an industrial painting firm based in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, has begun offering Japanese-English simultaneous interpretation services remotely using teleconference systems. With more companies canceling international conferences and seminars due to the pandemic, ...
National Mar 23, 2020
In Japan and think you may have the coronavirus? Here's what to do
by Enzo Degregorio
In Japan, navigating through the layers of bureaucracy to get tested for the new coronavirus can be difficult even for a Japanese speaker, with many passed from person to person and getting nowhere. Imagine what it would be like for a foreign resident or ...
Commentary / Japan Mar 10, 2020
Japan must provide multilingual information on COVID-19
by Keizo Yamawaki
The government should create basic guidelines on how to disseminate information and give consultation services in foreign languages on COVID-19.
National Mar 9, 2020
Prefectures in Japan face lack of volunteer interpreters for disasters
Several prefectural governments around Japan have raised concerns about a shortage of volunteer interpreters and translators to support foreign residents and tourists during disasters, after making limited progress with addressing the problem, a new survey has shown. The massive floods that were caused by typhoons ...
National Mar 7, 2020
Where to find official coronavirus info in Japan in your language
Foreign tourists and residents have a range of options when it comes to getting coronavirus information from the authorities in their native tongues, but they are more likely to find what they need via the Japan Tourism Agency and local governments rather than the ...
National Mar 4, 2020
Some areas short of Japanese-language teachers for foreign youth
Some areas in Japan are struggling to secure enough public school staff to teach Japanese to children with foreign roots, amid a recent surge in the number of such students in the country, a Kyodo News survey showed Wednesday. The city of Yokohama, Saitama Prefecture ...