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Japanese Language Schools
There are many Japanese language schools in Japan - and wide variation in quality. The main motivation behind the creation of Education Japan was to provide impartial information about these schools so that students can be confident in their ability to find a good one. There are many reasons to come and study in Japan: for pleasure, for going on to higher education in Japan, for work. Some schools have different courses, aimed at students with differing goals, but the vast majority simply offer Japanese programs that teach Japanese without regard for student needs.
Recognition and Authorisation of Language Schools
Schools are recognised by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education (APJLE - see below for details), which defines whether the school is allowed to offer courses to students with a student visa (shugaku visa - see the Visa Guide for details). Education Japan recommends that you only attend APJLE recognised language schools in Japan.
However, schools may be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (the Monbukagakusho) or the Ministry of Justice (Houmusho). This is only an issue if you have completed less than 12 years of full-time education and are intending to study at university in Japan. Because Japanese universities require students to have completed 12 years of full-time education, you will need to make up any difference. If you study at a Japanese language school that is under the jurisdiction of the Monbukagakusho, then you can count this time as spent in full-time education towards the total. If it is under the jurisdiction of the Houmusho, then you cannot.
If you do not require the extra time to make up the 12 years, then you can ignore this as there is no other difference between the Houmusho and Monbukagakusho schools - both groups have stringent regulations and all have to conform to APJLE requirements.
Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education (APJLE)
The APJLE is the regulatory body governing language schools in Japan. It is a self-regulatory system, as the schools themselves make up the organisation. This is intended to make the organisation responsive to the needs of schools; it also means, however, that it is not independent and the needs and views of students of the Japanese language do not have an adequate forum.
Course Types
There is not a huge range of choice in Japanese language schools at present, as few schools offer more than the standard "Japanese language program" without any particular tailoring to suit student needs. However, it is possible to divide courses into short- and long-term programs.
Short-term Programs
These usually take the form of summer programs rather than being available all year round. Some schools are now offering these programs monthly throughout the year, but only a few do so. The benefit of these programs is that you can usually study on a tourist visa which simplifies the process greatly (although see the Visa Guide for complete details of visas).
Programs for special purposes (business, conversation classes, etc.) are available in some schools, but again very few offer such courses. Usually short-term courses are simply divided up by level, and sometimes might be differentiated by their emphasis on conversation or general coverage of all aspects of the language. There are exceptions, however, and as competition increases between schools, there should be a further improvement in choice. For the present, though, the choice of courses is limited.
Long-term Programs
To really make an improvement in your Japanese level, you should consider extended study in Japan if at all possible. If you are a beginner, and intend to study in Japanese at a Japanese university, or perhaps to work in a Japanese language environment, then you will require prolonged study in Japan (generally it takes a year or so to reach a suitable standard). Long-term study requires a student visa (see the Visa Guide for details).
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