The Agency for Cultural Affairs has developed teaching materials using information and communication technologies (ICT) to help foreign nationals learn the Japanese language for use in their daily lives as residents of Japan.
While the number of foreign nationals resident in Japan is increasing rapidly, to approximately 2.93 million people (as of the end of 2019), in some regions many municipalities lack Japanese-language courses for foreign nationals as residents. For this reason, the Agency for Cultural Affairs is developing and providing Japanese-language teaching materials using information and communication technologies (ICT) to provide opportunities for foreign nationals who live in such regions to learn the Japanese needed in their daily lives as residents. Recently, the Agency has launched the Japanese learning site “Connect and Enhance Your Life in Japanese” (TSUNAHIRO). Currently, the site is available in six languages. Plans call for tis expansion to 14 languages in the future, to provide learning opportunities for foreign nationals who are unable to attend Japanese-language courses.
(1) Site name: “Connect and Enhance Your Life in Japanese”
(2) Subject users: Foreign nationals resident in Japan and others
(3) Features
a. Intended for foreign nationals learning Japanese for the first time
b. Enables users to learn Japanese for use in everyday situations
c. Available in six languages (English, Chinese [simplified], Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Japanese)
d. Provided free of charge
e. No signup required
f. Compatible with personal computers and smartphones
(4) Date launched: Monday, June 1, 2020
(5) Site URL: https://tsunagarujp.bunka.go.jp/?lang_id=EN
［Contact］
Contacts: Japanese Language Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs, attn.: Tsuda, Kitamura, Suzuki
Tel.: 03-5253-4111 (ext. 4895, 2839)
FAX: 03-6734-3818
E-Mail: nihongo@mext.go.jp
The Agency for Cultural Affairs launches “Connect and Enhance Your Life in Japanese,” a Website for Foreign Nationals as Residents to Learn the Japanese Language
