National | GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT ENGLISH Jan 3, 2014

Immersion tactics come with risks and benefits

by Mami Maruko and Magdalena Osumi

Some parents opt to immerse their children at a young age in a multilingual environment, hoping they will become not only bilingual but also have new avenues of opportunity open up.

National | GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT ENGLISH Jan 2, 2014

Schools fret about assistant teachers ahead of proposed 2020 reforms

by Mizuho Aoki

With education reform expected to place a great deal of emphasis on English, officials worry about the uneven quality of foreign assistant language teachers.

National | GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT ENGLISH Dec 31, 2013

English to get 2020 push but teachers not on same page

by Masaaki Kameda

A reform plan released in mid-December by the education ministry looks to bolster English study from elementary to high school from the 2020 academic year to pursue globalization.