The Uzbekistan-Japan Center
AOKI Sayaka

With the odd salutation of “Nice to meet you, it’s been a long time,” I took over as the Japanese-Language Specialist dispatched to the Uzbekistan-Japan Center on March 18, 2021.

The Uzbekistan-Japan Center (hereinafter “UJC”) where I am dispatched is located within the International Business Center in the center of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The UJC is a human resource development organization widely known among the Uzbeks that has been in operation for 20 years teaching the Japanese language to approximately 280 learners now, from primary school students to working adults.

I originally had been scheduled to be dispatched here in September 2020, but due to the spread of the Covid-19 Pandemic, I was forced to carry out the job online from Japan until March 2021. My tasks during that time mainly involved interacting with Japanese-language teachers in Uzbekistan, including participation in meetings with local teachers, class observation and feedback, UJC teacher training program, general meetings of the Uzbekistan Japanese Language Teachers Association, and the Japanese speech contest. So, I was very happy when I actually arrived in Uzbekistan and finally had the chance to meet these teachers who I had only spoken to online, resulting in my strange greetings that I wrote above and a good laugh between us.

A view of Tashkent from UJC

Two of the things I hear most often when speaking with those involved in Japanese-language education in Uzbekistan is that “though there are students who wish to learn the Japanese language, there is a shortage of teachers,” and that “the teaching skills of the teachers are not fully developed.” Uzbekistan adopted a policy of “opening up to the world” several years ago, and since then they have opened the doors to universities and tourism, offering greater opportunities for students to learn. However, this has created a situation where the number of university students is increasing, but the number of teachers is not, so increasing the number of teachers and the teaching skills of younger teachers in particular have become urgent needs. To respond to those needs, we opened a Japanese teacher training course for inexperienced Uzbek Japanese-language teachers at the end of April as part of an effort to focus more on teacher training.

There is also a growing need for the Japanese language ability for tourism in order to develop tourism in such world-famous cities as Samarkand and Bukhara. To be sure, this need is not as immediate given the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic. Be that as it may, the UJC is currently considering opening a Japanese course specifically for the tourism industry now with a view toward the eventual end of the Pandemic.

Another major trend demonstrating the changes to Uzbek society is a rise in educational and support institutions training engineers to provide technology support overseas. In fact, there are said to be more than 30 Japanese-language educational institutions of various sizes now teaching Japanese language to Uzbeks interested in traveling to Japan as specified skilled workers Accordingly, I believe that one of my jobs as a Japanese-Language Specialist is to do a survey on Japanese-language education at those institutions and respond to the needs of the teachers and learners.

Certainly, it is important to train new teachers, but as a Japanese-Language Specialist, I would also like to focus on helping improve the skills of the mid-level and veteran teachers who are already teaching the Japanese language at universities and other educational institutions. I am often surprised at the high level of teaching ability, and more importantly motivation, of the local teachers when I speak with them via the Teachers Association and speech contests and when observing classes at the UJC. I see teachers always on the lookout for new textbooks, teachers who repeatedly modify the textbooks to make them more fun for the learners, teachers who inspire their students, and teachers who serve as role models for them. I take my hat off to them when I contemplate that each of them became what they are through trial and error with great effort. And yet they are quick to say, “I’m not there yet, I have much to learn.” I hope that my efforts as a Japanese-Language Specialist prove to be of assistance to the teachers and their classes, and to contribute to Japanese-language education in Uzbekistan.

My work as a Japanese-Language Specialist has only just begun. The Covid-19 Pandemic prevents us from carrying out cultural activities and other events at the same scale as we normally would, and this situation may continue. However, I will continue to do everything in my power to carry out my job in such a way that the presence of the Japanese-Language Specialist here in the country, rather than online, is meaningful for the people of Uzbekistan.

UJC teachers preparing for class.