Toyo University was selected for the "Program for Enhancing Employment of International Students1) " by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2017, and as part of this program, a business Japanese course was launched. Initially, it was a face-to-face format, but was moved online with COVID-19 in 2020. I joined Toyo University in 2020, and since that year I have been in charge of running courses and moderating courses for external lecturers. Later, I was involved in the planning and development of online courses in business Japanese, and was also in charge of the development of this "Introduction to Business Japanese Teaching" course.

This course is an introductory course that provides students with specialized knowledge for teaching business Japanese. Experts in linguistics, Japanese linguistics, and Japanese language education will serve as lecturers, giving easy-to-understand lectures on each topic from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The course consists of nine sessions including orientation. This content is highly recommended for current teachers involved in Japanese language education, those conducting business Japanese education in companies, university students and graduate students interested in Japanese language education, and anyone interested in business Japanese and its teaching. The course is offered in an on-demand format and so you can learn at your own pace.

This course was developed against the backdrop of the importance of business Japanese language education and the growing need for it. There are actually very few courses that specialize in business Japanese and its instruction, and it is very difficult to obtain related materials and content, especially for those who are overseas. While warming up the concept to solve this issue, we aimed to develop it by utilizing the know-how cultivated through Toyo University's online courses. We have also received many requests from people who have taken Toyo University's business Japanese courses to learn business Japanese language education, which was also a driving force behind the development of the course.

I was involved from the planning stage as the person in charge. To be more specific, for example, I examined the theme and structure of the video materials, selected lecturers for each lecture, and coordinated with a production company for a filming studio.

There are three points that we particularly focused on during the development. The first is a generic theme and content. Because we expect participants to come from diverse backgrounds and roots, the theme and content have been designed to meet a wide range of needs.
The second is the structure of the course. Since it is on-demand, we have devised ways to keep the participants engaged and focused on learning without getting bored. Each session takes up a single theme and is divided into two parts, a theory section and a practical section. By incorporating preparatory and review assignments and practical tasks before and after the theory section, we designed the sessions so that participants can naturally engage in activities such as "thinking," "research," and "communicating."
The third is the quality and design of the video. I would like to make a lecture video that is comparable to the quality of online conference systems and online video content that are now becoming very high quality.

Yes, it is. The production company advised us on the font size of the slides, and we made a number of adjustments. We then shared the final version with the lecturers. To ensure satisfaction both visually and audibly, we pursued a professional finish by sharing ideas within the production team regarding 4K video quality, intro music, and sound quality. It was hard work, but it also became a good memory (laughs).

In this lecture, the greatest emphasis was placed on resolving the difficulties that foreign personnel have in learning Japanese "characters" and "expressions." In particular, I have structured the content with an awareness of the various writing systems of the Japanese language, such as hiragana, katakana, kanji, and romaji, as well as the differences from the learner's native language. I have focused on two of these points in particular.
The first has been instruction based on the characteristics of the learner's native language. Cultures that use phonetic scripts like the alphabet and those that use logographic or ideographic scripts have significantly different learning styles and perceptions of characters. Based on these differences, I tried to provide efficient and effective guidance.
The second point has been the awareness of the modern workplace environment where ICT has advanced. Nowadays, computers are actually used more in the workplace, so skills in reading and typing are required rather than "being able to write" Kanji characters. I aimed to develop the ability to meet such practical needs and respond to them.

For example, I sometimes hear comments like "People from [country] can’t read or write" or "People from [country] are bad at conversation." However, from my point of view, each learner is unique and has a different cultural background. Therefore, I feel it is important to understand such differences before teaching. I have also had the experience of learning Japanese from zero level myself, so I understand firsthand what is difficult at each stage. In this regard, I feel that I can deeply empathize with the learner in many ways.

A total of 500 people have attended this course to date. More than half of the participants are Japanese language teachers. Other participants include university and graduate students, company employees, educational institution employees, and Japanese language volunteers.
When we look at the nationalities, Japan has the most participants, followed by China and Indonesia. We also received applications from a total of 14 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Italy, India, Uzbekistan, Slovenia, and Mexico. We feel that the course has a rich international flavor, with participants from a truly diverse range of backgrounds.

We have received very positive feedback from the participants so far. An overseas participant commented, "I learned a lot because there are no business classes in Japanese in my home country." Additionally, there have been comments from Japanese educators stating, "It covered a wider range of fields than I had imagined from the name ’Introduction to Teaching,’ and it was very interesting," and it has been recognized as a practical learning opportunity both domestically and internationally. Furthermore, with the growing demand for business Japanese language education, we received comments such as, "It was helpful that I was able to take the class just when the number of requests to open classes was increasing."

We hope that this course will be of some help to you in your teaching and goals. Teaching business Japanese plays a very important role in supporting learners' growth and becoming a cornerstone of their future careers. Although you may sometimes experience difficulties in teaching, I am sure that you will have moments of new discovery and personal growth as you put what you have learned into practice in the field. Please work with confidence and have fun while doing so. We sincerely hope that your guidance will be an invaluable learning experience for our learners and help them to play an active role in the international community.

Yes, in February and March 2025, we plan to offer the online "Business Japanese Special Course," "Business Japanese Advanced Course," and "BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test Preparation Course." Additionally, from April to August, we plan to offer the on-demand "Introduction to Business Japanese Teaching," "Introduction to Business Japanese," and "Preparation Course for BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test."
All application information will be available on JV-Campus, and we hope you will take advantage of it.

I feel that the "Shuukatsu Jump Start" system developed by the University of Tsukuba is an excellent system. I thought that there was a wealth of practical and useful content for international students and learners of Japanese who are seeking employment in Japan. You can learn specifically about the characteristics of job hunting in Japan, how to prepare for it, and the key points of interviews, and you can also get an overall picture of the job hunting process. Another interesting point is that they are using manga to present case studies. The content is also useful for Japanese language teachers and career support providers, as it makes it easier for people overseas to imagine job hunting in Japan.

Japanese is not just a language, but an important tool for deepening connections with others. Things may not always go your way, but by taking on challenges one step at a time, you will expand your possibilities. Learn at your own pace and enjoy your experience in Japan.