Prestigious Pyongyang university now running specialist Japanese language and literature courses
Kim Il Sung University set up specialist Japanese language and literature courses in the spring of 2017, it was learned Saturday from the university. The training course for Japanese researchers was established at the prestigious institution in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, at a ...
Japanese rugby's 'One Team' motto declared buzzword of 2019
"One Team," Japan's slogan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, was picked as buzzword of the year on Monday after the Brave Blossoms thrilled fans with their historic advance to the top eight. The annual awards are announced in early December, when the top buzzword ...
With great knowledge comes a great chilled beer
Sultan "Sam" Vidhani operates Sam's Bar TalkEigo, a place in Fukuoka where you can participate in some language exchange with a cheeky drink.
Outsourcing of English tests stirs up storm in education
When speaking last month about a plan to introduce private-sector English testing for university entrance exams, education minister Koichi Hagiuda created an outcry when he said students should compete for entry "in accordance with their (financial) standing," implying they should compete financially. The comments created ...
University entrance exam to focus only on English reading and listening skills
The standardized university entrance exam will test only English reading and listening skills in the 2020 academic year beginning in April, while placing more emphasis on listening than current exams, the government-backed exam-setter said Friday. The National Center for University Entrance Examinations will stick to ...
Japan's rugby, disasters and social change generate buzzwords in 2019
The 2019 Rugby World Cup, natural disasters and cashless payment inspired a large portion of the nominations for the annual buzzword of the year awards. The words selected for the 2019 U-Can Shingo Ryukogo Taisho (2019 U-Can New Words and Buzzword Awards) reflect the nation’s ...
Group of Chinese educators nabbed for taking photos of university entrance exams in Japan
Five Chinese including the head of a Tokyo cram school for Chinese-speaking students have been arrested for secretly taking photos of university entrance exams, investigative sources said Friday. Ding Bin, the 36-year-old president of MK Education & Technology Co., and four compatriots including its employees, ...
Japanese learners flock to International Sign language courses ahead of Tokyo Paralympics
As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics draw ever closer, more people in Japan are taking courses in a pidgin form of sign language called International Sign as a means of communicating with hearing-impaired visitors from overseas. The courses are expected to improve communications standards ...
Government to put Japanese family names first when using Roman alphabet from Jan. 1
The government will write family names first when using the Roman alphabet for Japanese names on official documents from Jan. 1, the education minister said Friday. Respective ministries and agencies will notify related industries in the private sector of the government's decision, which breaks from ...
Typhoon Hagibis highlights need for multilingual emergency alerts in Japan
Alerts in Japanese warning about the typhoon left many foreign visitors and residents confused about whether they should evacuate.
Linguistic ignorance can be bliss
When it was revealed that Pico Iyer knew only a "smattering" of Japanese despite living in Japan for 25 years, some were critical. However, could there be artistic benefits to not being fluent?
Mie's first-in-Japan 24-hour interpretation service for child care counseling boosts efficiency
The Mie Prefectural Government has been operating Japan's first 24-hour multilingual telephone interpretation service for public counseling centers dealing with child care issues since last year, allowing for more inquiries to be handled more efficiently. The service allows for response times that are 20 times ...
