An expert panel has proposed increasing the number of Japanese teachers sent abroad to teach the Japanese language as a way of improving relations with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The proposal is one positive step forward toward a fuller recognition of just how many students in the ASEAN member nations — the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — are studying Japanese, and just how vital that is for Japan's ties with this important region.
The proposal was not just about upping the level of Japanese grammar, however. The panel seemed to recognize the need for promoting a genuine exchange between Japan and ASEAN countries. This means not just exporting knowledge of the Japanese language and commercially driven popular culture, but also importing the culture of ASEAN countries.
Of course, language programs are essential to any exchange. The Japan Foundation found that the number of Japanese-language students in ASEAN countries increased in 2012. Indonesia had 872,000 students, Thailand 129,000, and Malaysia 33,000, all up from 2009. With the Olympics coming, these figures will surely increase. However, the numbers of Japanese students studying the languages of those countries should also increase. The panel could have recommended more language study here in Japan as well.