Long-term foreign residents in the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, were more likely to have lower confidence in their Japanese language ability than technical interns who have recently come from overseas, according to a survey released earlier this year.
The survey was conducted between August and September last year by the city, where many Japanese-Brazilians work at production bases for manufacturers. It found that long-term residents had often missed out on opportunities to learn the Japanese language before arriving, compared to the interns who studied beforehand.
The research, which drew responses from 427 foreign residents in Hamamatsu, underlined the need for the city to consider how to support public language study.