- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,057
- 18,914
A former elementary school in Osaki, Miyagi, which closed in March 2023, has been repurposed as the site of the Osaki City Japanese Language School, where 28 students from Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia, ranging in age from 18 to 63, have begun their studies. The school held its entrance ceremony on 10 April. As the second publicly operated Japanese language school in the country, its establishment reflects a growing openness among residents toward accepting non-Japanese newcomers.
The city launched the initiative after Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai secured a fifth term in 2021, pledging to intensify efforts to attract skilled individuals from overseas in response to the decline in population. Classes are held in the former Nishi-Furukawa Elementary School, which was closed due to declining enrollment. During the ceremony, the students introduced themselves in Japanese and spoke about their goals and hopes for the future.
The enrollees will spend up to two years learning Japanese while interacting with residents and engaging in farming activities. They aim to acquire Japanese language skills equivalent to the second-highest N2 level on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test by the time they graduate.
The city launched the initiative after Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai secured a fifth term in 2021, pledging to intensify efforts to attract skilled individuals from overseas in response to the decline in population. Classes are held in the former Nishi-Furukawa Elementary School, which was closed due to declining enrollment. During the ceremony, the students introduced themselves in Japanese and spoke about their goals and hopes for the future.
The enrollees will spend up to two years learning Japanese while interacting with residents and engaging in farming activities. They aim to acquire Japanese language skills equivalent to the second-highest N2 level on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test by the time they graduate.