Japan faces shortage of language teachers for foreign workers

As of August this year, the number of registered Japanese language teachers was about 20,000. 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.