ID :
156327
Sat, 01/08/2011 - 11:04
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/156327
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Japan to beef up exchanges with U.S. via teacher dispatch
TOKYO, Jan. 7 Kyodo -
Japan will beef up people-to-people exchanges with the United States this year
by dispatching young teachers of Japanese language and English to the country,
Japanese government officials said Friday.
Tokyo will launch new programs to send those teachers in the fiscal year
starting in April amid concerns that bilateral ties could taper off with
declines in the number of Japanese students enrolled at U.S. universities and
cuts in the Japanese budget for a project to invite American and other foreign
university graduates to teach English at Japanese schools.
The government has earmarked 500 million yen in the fiscal 2011 budget to send
100 Japanese English language teachers aged 40 or younger to U.S. universities
to learn English teaching methods for six months, according to the officials.
The government-linked Japan Foundation, which offers training programs for
Japanese language teachers abroad, will newly start Japanese language courses
for the general public in Los Angeles and New York. Young Japanese teachers
will be dispatched to those cities to teach a few thousand students annually,
the officials said.
The schemes to dispatch teachers will be part of Japanese Prime Minister Naoto
Kan's pledge last November in his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama to
realize exchanges of several thousand people between the two countries in five
years.
Kan's initiative also includes sending young Japanese researchers to the United
States, inviting U.S. Asian study experts to Japan and promoting short visits
to Japan by American students.
The premier is expected to polish his proposal to enhance bilateral human
exchanges and present it when he visits the United States in the spring for
summit talks with Obama, the officials said.
Cultural and people-to-people exchanges are deemed one of the three main
pillars of the Japan-U.S. alliance, which the two countries aim to deepen this
year following the 50th anniversary of the bilateral security treaty in 2010.
The remaining pillars are security and economy.
==Kyodo
Japan will beef up people-to-people exchanges with the United States this year
by dispatching young teachers of Japanese language and English to the country,
Japanese government officials said Friday.
Tokyo will launch new programs to send those teachers in the fiscal year
starting in April amid concerns that bilateral ties could taper off with
declines in the number of Japanese students enrolled at U.S. universities and
cuts in the Japanese budget for a project to invite American and other foreign
university graduates to teach English at Japanese schools.
The government has earmarked 500 million yen in the fiscal 2011 budget to send
100 Japanese English language teachers aged 40 or younger to U.S. universities
to learn English teaching methods for six months, according to the officials.
The government-linked Japan Foundation, which offers training programs for
Japanese language teachers abroad, will newly start Japanese language courses
for the general public in Los Angeles and New York. Young Japanese teachers
will be dispatched to those cities to teach a few thousand students annually,
the officials said.
The schemes to dispatch teachers will be part of Japanese Prime Minister Naoto
Kan's pledge last November in his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama to
realize exchanges of several thousand people between the two countries in five
years.
Kan's initiative also includes sending young Japanese researchers to the United
States, inviting U.S. Asian study experts to Japan and promoting short visits
to Japan by American students.
The premier is expected to polish his proposal to enhance bilateral human
exchanges and present it when he visits the United States in the spring for
summit talks with Obama, the officials said.
Cultural and people-to-people exchanges are deemed one of the three main
pillars of the Japan-U.S. alliance, which the two countries aim to deepen this
year following the 50th anniversary of the bilateral security treaty in 2010.
The remaining pillars are security and economy.
==Kyodo
