The Japanese government and corporate world have been accelerating their globalization efforts, and Japanese companies are increasingly opening up positions for foreign employees. The number of foreign workers in Japan has increased from 97,000 in 1993 to 718,000 in 2013 (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare), a rise of 740% over twenty years – many prominent and fast-growing companies wish to have Asia’s top talents in their headquarters in Japan. At the same time, the number of Japanese companies are increasing due to the establishment of the Asia Pacific General Headquarters; local and international companies who wish to expand their business to Japan are also increasing. Policies to increase employment opportunities for Singaporeans have also been strengthened, and therefore the demand for Japanese-speaking Singaporeans who have the potential to be global leaders is rising.
Beyond fluent mastery of Japanese, these positions require competence in global literacy and 21st century skills. Therefore, how can Japanese language education contribute to the fostering of such skills?
In order to explore this, it is necessary for government bodies, industries, educators, and Japanese learners to collaborate by sharing their knowledge and perspectives.
This conference, themed “Collaboration Across Borders”, hence aims to emphasize the significance of Japanese language education and the nurturing of 21st century skills in the context of an increasingly globalized workplace.