PICK UP FY2019

Large Japanese Film Festival Held in India

Weathering With You director SHINKAI Makoto and the overflowing audience (c) one frame story

A large Japanese Film Festival was held in seven major cities* across India from September 2019 to February 2020. The festival screened 30 films, mainly new and excellent works, and attracted around 36,000 visitors. At the festival's opening in New Delhi, the new anime film Weathering With You, which had just been released in Japan in late July 2019, made its premiere screening with director SHINKAI Makoto taking the podium. The enthusiastic welcome of director SHINKAI from local fans was widely covered by major local media that included The Times of India. The film festival also received coverage in Japan, where it was reported on by NHK News Ohayo Nippon and Kokusai Hodo. Following its premiere screening, Weathering With You became the first Japanese original anime film to be commercially screened in theaters in 39 cities across India.

*Seven major cities (Delhi, Gurgaon, Chennai, Guwahati, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata)）

The Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic) Launched

The Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic) was commenced in line with the residency status of "Specified Skilled Worker" newly established by the Japanese government in April 2019. The aim of the test is to measure the Japanese-language proficiency needed by foreign nationals about to reside in Japan mainly for work, to communicate in everyday life situations. This is a computer-based test that evaluates Japanese-language competence needed to acquire "Specified Skilled Worker (i)" in accordance with the concepts of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education. In FY2019, a total of 7,971 people took the test in nine cities in six countries in Asia.

Former Japanese Studies Fellows Played Key Roles in Japan 2019

Several former Japanese Studies Fellows played large roles in Japan 2019 held in the United States. Curator Melissa McCormick (FY1995, FY2012) supervised The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated, which fascinated more than 200,000 visitors at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Curator Sinéad Vilbar (FY2002) supervised Shinto: Discovery of the Divine in Japanese Art at The Cleveland Museum of Art, the first large-scale exhibition of Shinto in the United States in 43 years. Additionally, the planning and supervision of The Life of Animals in Japanese Art held in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles was undertaken by curator Robert Singer, a 1st-term (FY1974) fellow.

Japanese-Language Learners Invitation Related with NIHONGO Partners Program

In November 2019, the Japan Foundation invited 50 Japanese-language learners, who had never previously visited Japan, from schools in Southeast Asian countries where NIHONGO Partners have been dispatched. The participants experienced various aspects of Japan through field trips in Tokyo and Hiroshima. During their stay, they visited a high school, university and vocational school to learn about the differences from their own countries such as school buildings, classes and club activities. Through interaction with Japanese students, the participants deepened their understanding of Japan, and furthermore, raised their motivation to learn Japanese. The bonds among learners that transcended national borders were further deepened by communicating in Japanese during the eight-day program.