Overseas Dispatch Program

To support Japanese-language education around the world, the Japan Foundation dispatches a wide variety of teachers, from teaching assistants to specialists, to the overseas offices of the Japan Foundation, Ministries of Education and educational institutions in various countries.

As of FY2022

Dispatch Program	No. of posts/people
Japanese-Language Senior Specialists	30 posts (21 countries)
Japanese-Language Specialists	76 posts (37 countries)
Japanese-Language Assistants	12 posts (11 countries)
J-LEAP (Japanese-Language Education Assistant Program)	11 posts (1 country)
Japanese-Language Lecturers*	52 people (2 countries)
NIHONGO Partners	279 people (9 countries and areas)

• * Japanese-Language Lecturers for Preparatory Japanese-Language Training for Indonesian and Filipino Nurses and Certified Care Worker Candidates under Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA)

Japanese-Language Senior Specialists / Japanese-Language Specialists

These specialists give advice for establishing curriculums, producing educational materials and developing networks of teachers in the country or region to contribute to the establishing environments for Japanese-language education overseas or teach at the Japanese-language courses in our overseas offices and other institutions.

Read the report from Japanese-Language Specialists

Japanese-Language Assistants

These assistants support Japanese-language education overseas while gaining experience under the guidance of the Japanese-Language Senior Specialists and the Japanese-Language Specialists. This program also aims to develop human resources who can assume an active role in the field of Japanese-language education overseas in the future.

Read the report from Japanese-Language Assistants

J-LEAP (Japanese-Language Education Assistant Program)

Regarding the U.S., following the 2010 Yokohama Summit agreement, this program was created to achieve increased dialogue between Japanese and American youth, as well as to support Japanese-language teaching in the U.S. The Japan Foundation in cooperation with Laurasian Institution organizes the program and dispatches Japanese-language teaching assistants to U.S. K-12 educational institutions for a period of up to two academic years.

Japanese-Language Lecturers for Preparatory Japanese-Language Training for Indonesian and Filipino Nurses and Certified Care Worker Candidates under Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA)

Under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), these lecturers teach Japanese language in pre-arrival training programs to Indonesian and Filipino candidates for nurses and certified care workers who wish to pass the Japanese national licensing examination and work in Japan.

NIHONGO Partners

This program dispatches Japanese citizens as NIHONGO Partners mainly to secondary schools in Asia in order to support the local Japanese-Language teachers and students.

Other Programs

• "Japanese for Life in Japan" Coordinators
  These coordinators work to promote the establishment of a Japanese-language learning environment overseas in which those who wish to come to Japan under "Specified Skilled Worker (i)" residence status scheme can acquire the Japanese-language skills necessary for living and working in Japan.
• GEN-J: Japanese-Language Supporters
  From FY 2018 to FY 2020, as part of Grassroots Exchange Network-Japan Program (“GEN-J”), these supporters were also dispatched to local community centers including the America-Japan Society, Inc. located mainly South and West Central states in the U.S., aiming to strengthen the relationship between Japanese companies operating in the U.S. and the local communities in the U.S. as well as to promote a better understanding of Japan through their grassroots activities.