The Kanagawa Prefectural Government is opening a language and cultural institute in Yokohama in January to help foreign residents learn basic Japanese, while assisting schoolteachers and local government officials as they try to deal with foreign residents.
Kokusai Gengo Bunka Akademia will also offer training to English- and other foreign-language teachers as well as lectures on foreign languages and cultures.
With some teaching staff expected to come from the Kanagawa Prefectural College of Foreign Studies — which will close at the end of the 2010 academic year through March — officials expect that the facility will be popular with people wanting to nurture their understanding of languages and cultures and help Japanese and foreign residents live in harmony.