Quote
1:
Students to be immersed in English-speaking
countries.
Quote 2: Special
training for English teachers in public schools.
Quote 3:
‘Super English language high schools’ designated.
ENGLISH INVASION: Koizumi wants to
find Japanese substitutes.
Tokyo:
Japan
Upset by the
use by government officials of terms such as
‘bakku ofisu’ (back office) that the public
would not understand. Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi wants to stop the
invasion of English words into the Japanese
language by forming a panel of experts to
propose a list of Japanese substitutes to
replace less familiar English terms.
Japan
But analysts say the
government is fighting a losing
battle given the apparently
inexorable tide of
globalization.
‘Concerns are being raised that the trend
might erode the traditional
beauty of the Japanese
language.” Ms Atsuko Toyama,
Minister of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology,
told reporters as she announced
her plan to set up the panel
earlier this summer.
Foreign words have been
incorporated into the Japanese
lexicon for centuries
Japan
Tokyo:
The Japanese government
plans to
send 1,000
senior high
school
students
abroad next
year on
immersion
programmed
to help them
learn to
speak
English.
The students aged from
l6 to 18
will spend
three months
in schools
in
English-speaking
countries
where they
will be
thrust into
an
environment
that
requires
them to use
the
language.
The government will also
foot half
the tuition
bill for 100
English
teachers
studying for
master’s
degrees
overseas.
The two measures are
part of
Japan’s
latest push
to raise the
standard of
English
teaching in
schools,
according to
a report in
the leading
Asahi
Shimbun
daily
yesterday.
In addition, the
nation’s
60,000-odd
English
teachers
working in
public
schools will
undergo
special
training
during the
summer
holidays
over the
next five
years to
boost their
command of
the
language...
Japan is
undergoing
the painful
process of
over-hauling
its economy
after a
debilitating
recession.
The Straits
Times
continues
its regular
series, focu-sing
on why the
country
needs to
embrace the
English
language.
Japan
“This day is wonder. Power windproof.” These cryptic words are not the verses of a haiku.
Japan
An inscription on a made-in-Japan lighter sold at a Tokyo sundry shop, the words – fractured grammar and all – reflect the uphill struggle Japan is facing as it moves into the Knowledge Economy, one that is dominated by the English language.
About 80 per cent or one billion of the people on the Internet use English. But Japan scores near the bottom of all Asian countries in the TOEFL examination, the international test of English as a foreign language, even losing out to North Korea.
There is recognition among Japanese opinion shapers that English has become the international lingua franca and the language that defines global literacy.
They know that the writing is on the wall – and that Japan ignored these trends at its own peril...
In the Japanese Diet (parliament) there is only a sprinkling of 20 out of 500 parliamentarians who can speak English. In the cabinet, only one minister– Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa – is proficient in English
Weakness in the language has put them at a disadvantage because the Internet has given a big leverage to those who understand English.
Japan
Tokyo: Although Japan’s workforce is probably the best educated in the world, weakness in the English language has put the Japanese at a disadvantage with the growth of the Internet, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew told an international conference here yesterday.
Speaking about the deficiencies of the Japanese, he said: “I would put down one failing – lack of the English language, because the internet has given a tremendous advantage to people who understand English.”
He said that if Japanese students could hone their English language skills, they could outstrip the British or American workforces, which today have the advantage of a huge data bank in the English-dominated Internet.
Senior Japanese politician Koichi Kato, who appeared in the same session at the Senior Minister, lamented the continued emphasis on teaching complicated English grammar in Japanese schools, and not the kind of English that was needed for communication...
Japan – Lack of mastery of English is seen as a reason for the
country’s slow recovery from its financial turmoil as well as limiting access to the Internet.
Japan
Tokyo:
Experts, alarmed and embarrassed at the dismal standard of English in Japan, have called for all students to be taught the language from primary school and for a change in outmoded aims and teaching methods that have hampered the mastery of English.
An analysis of scores in the American TOEFL (Test Of English As A Foreign Language) taken worldwide revealed that Japanese students ranked l80th among l89 nations and were the worst in Asia.
Although English language education has been around for almost a century, the general level of English in Japan remains mediocre.
Professor Ikuo Koike of Meikai University advocated strongly a drastic review of the teaching of English in Japanese schools.
Japan
He cited a study comparing university students from Japan, China and South Korea, which showed Japanese students to be by far the least proficient in English.
Quote: 1.
“Needless to say, the learning of English, now a global language, is essential for Japan to have a bright future “
(Professor Takashi Inoguchi of Tokyo University).
Quote: 2.
We must reform now, or be left behind: “ Japan needs to make a bold attempt to reform its English-language education, or, in 20 years, we will be left behind,”
(Professor Ikuo Koike of Meikai University who advocates strongly a drastic review of the teaching of English in Japanese schools).
(The Straits Times: Thursday, September 2, 1999)
Quote: 1.
‘In this day and age, we simply can’t maintain our identity by closing doors. The Japanese people should develop a more sturdy identity, not one that is fragile and can crumble when exposed to the outside world.”
(Mr. Tadashi Yamamoto, President of the Japan Centre for International Exchange)
Quote: 2.
'It is not a question of whether we like it or not. The Internet has made mastery of English indispensable. It is the only way for us to communicate with other people in the world.’
(Mr.ShigefumiMatsuzawa, shadow Education Minister. He was the first to propose in the Diet (Japanese Parliament) that English be made the official second language).
