"Japanese Language Learning (JLPT N5 level ) - Kansai University of International Studies (KUISs) -" is content designed to help learners study the Japanese used in everyday life in Japan, presented in easy Japanese. I became involved in its development when Kansai University of International Studies was selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's (MEXT) 2024 "Research Project on Improving the Educational Environment for the Children of Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals1) ." The purpose of this project is to create an environment in which the children of highly skilled foreign professionals—who are expected to play active roles around the world—can study with peace of mind, so that their families will choose Japan as a place to live and conduct business. In this initiative, Kansai University of International Studies is taking the lead, working in collaboration with the City of Kobe and other partners to promote community engagement and develop on-demand learning materials. Within this project, I was appointed as the leader of the Japanese-language learning materials development team. I am responsible for overseeing the entire project, including its overall structure and supervision.

We primarily envision elementary through high school students living in Japan. Their backgrounds are extremely diverse. Some come from families that relocate internationally every few years, and during their time abroad, they use English as their main language of communication. Others are familiar with the sounds of Japanese from daily life in Japan but are unable to read or write the language. These learning materials are designed with the assumption that learners are already living in Japan and are exposed to Japanese in their daily school life. The narration uses natural, everyday speech. Our aim is to help learners reorganize the Japanese they have been hearing vaguely into a clearer understanding of "Oh, this is the kind of situation where this expression is used," in a more systematic way.

What we prioritized most was enabling learners to naturally and gently acquire expressions that reflect real-life situations. Rather than using example sentences created solely for teaching grammar, we focused on expressions used in everyday scenes—such as self-introductions, shopping, or how to take a bus. The development of the learning materials and slides was carried out by a team that included full-time faculty, part-time instructors, as well as graduate students and international students. While we maintained a certain level of consistency across the learning materials, each one also reflects the unique "touch" and "creativity" of the instructor who worked on it.

One of the challenges we faced was aligning this kind of "daily-life-focused" content with the JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test), which serves as an objective evaluation standard. This is because, when children later apply for further education, their JLPT level often becomes an important indicator of their Japanese ability. For that reason, while the learning content is centered around natural conversations, the review tests follow the JLPT format. In this way, we aimed to balance practical language use with exam preparation.

We have currently released the N5 level materials, but we plan to gradually complete learning materials up to the N2 level by the end of AY 2026. In addition to Japanese-language learning, we are also preparing courses that allow learners to study and reflect on Japanese culture from a comparative perspective. In these courses, we aim to go beyond simply introducing cultural facts. For example, we include topics such as, "People say Japanese are punctual, but is that really true?" In this format, the instructor gives a lecture and Japanese students exchange their opinions. To follow the content in Japanese, learners will likely need Japanese proficiency around the N2-N1 level, but we plan to include English subtitles as well. Our goal is to provide content that encourages learners to view Japanese society from a comparative perspective and think for themselves.

Konan University's "Variations of Japanese Language 8-episode series" explains Kansai dialect, youth language, and other varieties of Japanese in a gentle and easy-to-understand way, and I found it very interesting. Opportunities to learn about "role language"—such as the speech patterns of elderly men or character-specific ways of speaking—as well as how language use changes depending on the situation, are usually limited to casual conversations between classes at school. Yet many learners are actually interested in studying these topics. I myself have long hoped that learners could discover more of the richness and diversity of Japanese, but there are very few resources available that teach this kind of content. That's why I think this series is truly excellent.

With the rapid evolution of generative AI, the way we learn languages is undergoing major changes. Roles that simply involve explaining grammar or vocabulary will likely be replaced by on-demand learning materials and AI. What will be required of Japanese-language teachers from now on is having "Japanese-language expertise plus something more"—and being someone who can convey the joy of face-to-face communication and inspire learners' motivation. Precisely because we now live in an age where AI enables efficient communication, it becomes even more important to help learners experience the value and joy of "connecting with others through one's own words." The real question is whether teachers can give learners that sense of discovery. I believe that the kind of teacher needed in the coming era is someone who can foster positive motivation—someone who encourages learners to want to study Japanese of their own accord.