Search - japanese-language-tests

 
 
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 4, 2015

Different strokes: navigating the Japanese school system with a learning difficulty

Japan's schools can be ill-prepared for dealing with bicultural children with learning problems.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Oct 25, 2022

Booked, cooked and shook: My experience getting LASIK in Japan

Writer Kat Joplin provides a first-hand account of getting LASIK at a medical center in Japan, and reveals whether it was worth it in the end.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jul 20, 2016

Readers' letters: Rote learning, vocab and Eiken's aims

Some readers' responses to last month's article by Hans Karlsson, 'Is the Eiken doing Japan's English learners more harm than good?'
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 18, 2019

A better way to teach kids foreign languages

To get results, language learning should be fun, eye-opening and meaningful.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 5, 2017

Spoken English tests among entrance exam reforms Japan's students will face in 2020

Upcoming changes to Japanese university admissions have students, parents and teachers raising their hands to ask questions.
Reader Mail
Nov 12, 2009

Rote learning of English failing

Masayuki Aihara's Oct. 29 letter, "Texts stand some in good stead," I believe, proved a lot of the points that Stewart Tennyson was trying to make in his Oct. 22 letter, "English teachers have work to do." To say that a man once read government-authorized English textbooks aloud 100 times and then got...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2009

Elementary school English: Ready or not

Poor English skills and coordination with visiting English speakers are just two of the problems worrying elementary school teachers as the government's two-year transition period to inaugurate weekly classes in the language begins next month.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 17, 2008

Indonesians put to the test on the job in Japan

When the first group of potential nurses and caregivers arrived from Indonesia on Aug. 7 as part of a new economic partnership agreement (EPA) with Japan, the numbers were confusing. According to the agreement, Japan would accept 500 workers in the first year and facilities throughout Japan said they...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 25, 2007

There's a world of languages Japanese too can learn

It seems to be conventional wisdom -- if "wisdom" is the word -- that Japanese people do not excel at mastering foreign languages. Some surveys of the results of international English-proficiency tests have them occupying the murky depths, below even the likes of North Koreans. Does the "Dear Leader,"...
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2002

Foreigners sit new admission test

Foreign students on Sunday took the first of new biannual tests for non-Japanese seeking admission to Japanese universities.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 8, 2017

Freeing Japanese from English trauma

Recently, I have seen two trends going on regarding English communication skills in Japan. One is the heightened interest in developing English skills among young children. The other is the high expectation for auto-translation, particularly for English-Japanese.
Reader Mail
Apr 4, 2013

Reservations about 'Abecation'

Recently we've had an earful of "Abenomics." And now it looks like (wow!) "Abecation"! While any improvement in English education in Japan should be welcome, reservations regarding the prime minister's proposals demonstrate, at best, skepticism if not mistrust.
EDITORIALS
Apr 3, 2012

Support foreign health professionals

Thirty-five Indonesians and one Filipino have passed Japan's fiscal 2011 national qualification test to become certified care workers. The Indonesians came to Japan in 2008 and the Filipino in 2009 under Japan's economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with their countries. Despite all being professionally...
Reader Mail
Feb 12, 2012

Nursing-care tests raise dilemma

The Jan. 31 article "Foreigners' poor test grades force rethink on nurse tests" does raise a dilemma: Should Japan, or should it not, make the nurse certification test easier for foreigners? It may come down to answering the following questions:
LIFE / Language / KANJI CLINIC
Sep 18, 2003

A trove of kanji-learning treasure in cyberspace

Vacation is over and kanji learners at schools around the planet are once again cracking the books. Increasingly, they and their teachers -- as well as self-directed English-speaking kanji learners of all ages -- are supplementing paper-based publications with online learning resources. Today, Kanji...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2001

Tokyo, New Delhi eager to put synergy back in relations

Last week's massive earthquake in western India has thrown in doubt Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's planned official visit to Japan this month -- the first by a premier of the world's most populous democracy in nearly 13 years.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2019

Only 895 granted blue-collar visas since April, immigration agency admits

The immigration service had issued just 895 working permits as of early November under the new visa system for skilled blue-collar foreign workers, a far lower number than had originally been forecast for this time, agency officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2018

Think tank says applicants for planned blue-collar visas should have college degrees

A newly launched think tank researching policies for accepting more foreign workers said Monday that as a condition for new visa statuses currently being discussed in the Diet, the government should require prospective applicants to have a college degree.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 29, 2017

Why do Japanese have trouble learning English?

If the government wants to improve students' proficiency in English, it should increase the time they spend studying the language.
JAPAN
May 18, 2016

Tokyo reveals rare outbreak of tuberculosis, plays down ongoing risk

Nine people have contracted tuberculosis while 34 others have developed asymptomatic forms of the disease after coming into contact last year with an Asian student living in Tokyo, the metropolitan government has revealed.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jan 27, 2014

Have your say on English education

Letters and online responses to the Jan. 6, 13 and 20 Learning Curve columns by Teru Clavel on English education.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 10, 2014

Teachers must nurture critical thinking, confidence in English for a shot at 2020 goals

Until English teachers start developing critical thinking skills in the classroom and emphasizing confidence over competence, students will never be able to converse with native English speakers 'at a viable level of proficiency.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 21, 2013

Medical bills mount for 'fired' Tokyo English teacher fighting cancer and HIV

A British language school teacher in Tokyo is struggling to pay for his chemotherapy and cancer surgery after his Waseda University-linked former employer failed to renew his contract, citing his nonattendance due to illness.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Sep 17, 2021

North Korea tests new weapons, and much more

Dealing with North Korea is complicated, and Pyongyang's decision to close its borders to prevent COVID-19 infection has made intelligence collection even more difficult.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 28, 2014

Flash cards help foreign children learn kanji

An elementary school teacher from Aichi Prefecture has developed a unique new way for foreign children to learn Japanese from flash cards.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2013

The communication skills for vying in the world

espite the introduction of curriculum changes in English-language teaching at Japanese junior and senior high school levels, little progress has been achieved to date.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 11, 2013

Growing world-beating communication skills

Japanese business people's inability to compete on the world stage because of poor communication skills is spurring debate over how English is taught.
A boy skateboards past Yanaka Cemetery in Tokyo’s Taito Ward. A perfectly peaceful spot the rest of the year, it becomes a place children may test their courage during the Bon holidays.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 8, 2024

Japanese cities turn into ghost towns during the Bon holiday period

As people return to their hometowns to pay their respects to their ancestors, children may try to test their nerves with a "kimodameshi."
The words of encouragement that star player Shohei Ohtani gave his teammates before their final game against the United States during the World Baseball Classic in March were among those nominated on Thursday to be the buzzwords of the year.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2023

Japan's 2023 buzzwords reflect light and dark sides of the year

From the year's scandals to its champions, the annual list of buzzword candidates highlights the nation's hope, fears and diversions.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?