Japan faces shortage of language teachers for foreign workers

Tokyo – Japan is facing a shortage of Japanese language teachers for foreign workers ahead of the introduction next April of a new system for accepting foreign workers, according to a recent government survey.

Under the new Employment for Skill Development program, which replaces the Technical Intern Training program, foreign nationals are required to pass the A1 level or higher on Japanese proficiency tests or attend at least 100 hours of Japanese language classes before working in Japan.

The survey, jointly conducted by the Immigration Services Agency and the labor ministry, asked organizations that will support foreign workers and recipient companies about their progress in securing Japanese language teachers.

The survey covered 1,880 such organizations included in the mailing list of the government-affiliated Organization for Technical Intern Training and received valid responses from 348 organizations over the three days through Oct. 7

Of the respondents, 125 organizations, or 35.9%, said they had not secured sufficient numbers of registered teachers and had no prospects for doing so. Only 51 organizations, or 14.7%, said they had secured sufficient teachers, while 66, or 19%, said they had prospects for doing so. The remaining 106 respondents said they were working on it.

Meanwhile, the 348 respondents planned to accept a total of 17,247 foreign workers under the new program in the first year, including 13,502 people who are expected to pass the A1 level or higher on Japanese proficiency tests before coming to Japan.

In the survey, respondents said that there are not enough registered Japanese language teachers, and that they do not know how to find these teachers or where to consult.

As of August this year, the number of registered Japanese language teachers was about 20,000. “We have to raise awareness about the system,” said an Immigration Services Agency official. “We will make further efforts to secure teachers.”