The Activities of the Japan Foundation
The Japan Foundation Asia Center
NIHONGO Partners Program
The program sends NIHONGO Partners to educational institutions in Asia to serve as partners for Japanese-language teachers and their students by acting as teaching assistants and introducing Japanese culture.
In FY2021, although there were some countries we could not dispatch people to due to COVID-19, we sent 123 persons to middle and high schools and universities in five ASEAN countries as well as China and Taiwan. In addition to building a rapport with Japanese learners and people in the community, NIHONGO Partners introduce people to Japanese culture through extracurricular activities and events.
People of Diverse Backgrounds Communicate Living Japanese
Even if they do not have expert knowledge, persons with special skills or long career histories and a zeal for exchange with Asia can all display their respective strengths and experiences and share the real Japan and the living Japanese that comes from being native speakers.
Deep Bonds Created from Learning from Each Other
NIHONGO Partners do not only share the Japanese language and culture but they also learn about the local language and culture at their destinations. Showing respect to others and interacting on equal footing allows them to deepen their bonds with the local people.
Voices of Participants
NIHONGO Partners (NP)
NP Vietnam 6th term
ABE Shoko
During my stay, I introduced Japanese culture through activities such as origami, cooking and orizome (dyeing folded paper), and seeing the students participate with joy was very rewarding for me. I am currently involved in social work, and I get closer to the children and colleagues I meet at work by sharing stories about Vietnam. It serves as a trigger for building positive relationships. In the future, I would like to cooperate with the government to hold an event where people in Vietnam interact with people from my hometown of Noogata City in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Teacher at local school
Prachaksilapakarn School
Budsaban Rodrangsee(Thailand)
An NP was dispatched here despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and the children were delighted to be able to speak Japanese with a Japanese person face-to-face. Even students who were less skilled at the language became able to greet enthusiastically in Japanese. Thanks to the suggestions and cooperation of the NP, we were able to interact online with Japanese high school students through Zoom, which I believe was an extremely good experience for my students.
Student at local school
Cimahi State Vocational High School 1
Muhammad Azhari Wirasena(Indonesia)
The NP coached me patiently and carefully when I entered a Japanese-language contest, and thanks to that I won third place, which I was thrilled about. Learning Japanese is difficult, but we students shared many interesting moments with the NP and joked with each other. Learning directly from a Japanese person made me more interested in learning about the Japanese language and culture and made classes more fun.
NIHONGO Partners Activities Carried Out Online in FY2021
Initiatives During the Coronavirus Crisis
Together with the Saitama Prefecture International Division, we held the “FY2021 Gathering on Multicultural Coexistence Activities in Saitama” online. Representatives of six organizations which carry out activities concerning multiculturalism such as supporting foreign nationals, and twenty former NIHONGO Partners (NP) participated. Based on specific examples of activities each organization is involved in, they had a lively exchange of opinions on how they could use their experiences as NIHONGO Partners and future issues and possibilities related to activities.
NIHONGO Partners Initiatives During the Coronavirus Crisis
HORIE Ichiro, NP in Indonesia, 16th term
During the coronavirus pandemic, there were many days when schools were closed and classes were held online, so we were rarely able to have face-to-face lessons. It is hard to judge the students' reactions online, so I found ways to make sure everyone could keep up with the lesson, such as by constantly asking them simple questions. Furthermore, although there was a limit on the people who could come to school and so only 10 people could participate in the cultural introduction to calligraphy I held, they all approached the activity with seriousness and had a great time.