Japan to open training program for Japanese language teachers in Vietnam

Japanese Ambassador Umeda Kunio speaks at the ceremony

According to Japanese Ambassador Umeda Kunio, the program includes two training courses: “Training new Japanese language teachers” and “Raising competence of Japanese language teachers”. It is organized this year to mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties and to strengthen Japanese language teaching and learning in Vietnam.

Ambassador Umeda Kunio further said, the training program for local Japanese language teachers is initiated by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the 23rd International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo in June, 2017. Vietnam, India and Myanmar were selected as the targets of the program.

At the talks in October in Tokyo, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe agreed to promote their cooperation in Japanese language teaching and learning in Vietnam.

The Japan Foundation also announced that last year Vietnam ranked third in the world and first in the Southeast Asia region for the number of candidates joining the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. At present, Japanese language teaching is piloted in primary schools in Vietnam and is expected to become the first foreign language in a short time.

Translated by Tran Hoai