The enactment of a new law that spells out the government's responsibility to ensure adequate Japanese language education for residents from overseas is a step forward. Policy actions and funding to back it up must now follow.
Malala is only one part of what makes Pakistan great
The textbooks used in English class are starting to look more and more like they should be used in social studies class, focusing increasingly on the cultures of countries where English isn't the first language. These lessons in diversity come in the form of ...
The closure of 51 Coco Juku eikaiwa (English conversation) schools in Japan last week, with more to come in June, illustrates just how unstable the English teaching market can be. Companies that used to provide fairly well-paying jobs are now, in many cases, restructuring ...
Nichii Gakkan says more closures to come after shuttering 50 Coco Juku English schools across Japan
Nichii Gakkan wrote in a statement it decided to close most of the language schools as they were deemed unlikely to turn a profit.
Know your rights as a language teacher
Dennis Tesolat is chair of the General Union based in Osaka. Founded in 1991, the organization is part of a national private sector trade union known as Zenkoku-Ippan (the National Union of General Workers), which belongs to a confederation known as Zenrokyo (National Trade ...
Zama school gives helping hand to foreign students struggling with Japanese life
A public high school in Kanagawa Prefecture is providing a safety net to foreign students who face difficulties in their day-to-day lives, helping them with everything from the Japanese language to addressing family issues and preparing them for self-sufficiency. Sagami Koyokan High School, in the ...
Your 'Japanese experience' doesn't have to be 'Japanese only'
After living in Japan for a while you start to notice certain personality types popping up in the international community, particularly among English teachers. There's the "weeaboo," a fairly recent character; the paripi (party people), who hit every nomikai (drinking party); and the gaijin (foreigner) ...
Waxing philosophical in English class with 'Thinking Experiments'
If you've ever taught English at a Japanese school, you'll likely be familiar with a certain kind of silence — pervasive and tinged with teenage ennui. Authors Alexander Dutson and James Hill want to recommend breaking the ice with philosophy. Their book, "Thinking Experiments," presents ...
Teachers and schools in Japan brace for icebergs in 2018
After a year of scandals and promises, the "five-year rule" and demographic woes cast a shadow over education in 2018.
Five-nation crackdown hits half of Japanese-language schools
New rules requiring greater scrutiny of applicants from five countries have landed Japanese-language schools with that little bit more paperwork.
Are university teachers in Japan covered by the 'five-year rule'?
Careful reading of laws suggests that a 10-year exception to the new rule that makes irregular workers permanent doesn't apply to college teachers.
Thirty years of JET: countless treasured memories and priceless gaffes
Past participants in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme recall their most memorable experiences, from the inspiring to the excruciating.
