Laos-Japan Human Resource Development Institute (LJI)
SUZUKI Chiaki

Japanese-Language Education in Laos

Laos is a small country in Southeast Asia with a population of less than 7 million people. There are approximately 2,000 Japanese-language learners, which is by no means large when compared to other Southeast Asian countries, but the number is increasing ever year little by little. Japanese-language education in Laos is gradual, but it does show a certain excitement, such as Japanese-language education being introduced into secondary educational institutions in 2015 and then a course for a Japanese-language major being started at Savannakhet University in central Laos in 2017.

Laos-Japan Human Resource Development Institute (LJI)

The Laos-Japan Human Resource Development Institute (hereinafter “LJI”) plays an important role in Japanese-language education in Laos. The LJI is an educational institution within the National University of Laos, and was established in 2000. It carries out a variety of projects, such as Japanese-language courses, exchange activities, and business courses. Currently, there are a total of eight teachers from Laos who belong to the Japanese-language department. They have a wealth of experience from study abroad and training in Japan, and they are not only active in Japanese-language courses at the LJI, but also in writing textbooks for secondary educational institutions and the teachers training program, etc., and they support Japanese-language education in Laos.

Japanese-Language Courses Where Students Learn Language and Culture Together

Since 2012, the LJI has begun offering a JF Japanese-language course using "Marugoto: Japanese Language and Culture," and there are approximately 500 students each year. Many of the learners, from upper secondary school students to adults in the general population, and of course university/college students as well, gather there to learn the Japanese language. During the course, there are also activities such as presentation sessions and visitor sessions that invite residents from Japan. The strength of the LJI/JF Japanese-language course is the atmosphere, in which students and can learn the Japanese language and culture in a fun and independent way. There are also one-off courses to meet the needs of a variety of learners, such as a guide experience course and a communications improvement course.

In-class presentation

All Kinds of Activities to Make Japanese-Language Education in Laos More Exciting

The LJI is also focusing on spreading the Japanese language and Japanese culture in Laos. They carry out all kinds of activities throughout the year, such as Japanese-language and Japanese cultural events for lower and upper secondary school students in Vientiane and seasonal cultural experience workshops for university/college students.

Since 2018, the LJI has also begun promotional activities in regions other than the capital city of Vientiane. Unfortunately, Japanese-language educational institutions in Laos are currently concentrated in Vientiane, so, in order to spread interest in the Japanese language and in Japanese culture even in rural areas, the LJI is conducting promotional activities at secondary educational institutions and at universities/colleges in the ancient city of Luang Prabang in the north and in the commercial city of Pakse in the south. There will be an issue whether or not these local students will be given the opportunity to learn the Japanese language in the future, and we will continue to explore the possibility of online courses.

Promotional activities in Luang Prabang

As described above, the LJI plays a major role in Laos as a spreader of the Japanese language and of Japanese culture, and we hope to continue working with the LJI to further increase Japanese-language education in Laos.