Chinese language study on the rise in Japan

TOKYO - "I started learning Chinese in my freshman year and then I had the opportunity to study in Beijing as an exchange student in my sophomore year. I made a lot of Chinese friends," Yudai Maekawa, a junior student in Teikyo University, said while attending an event held in Tokyo to promote studying and job opportunities in China.

"China's economy is developing rapidly," Maekawa said. "I want to find a job related to China."

At the event, about 1,500 students took the HSK Chinese proficiency test and several hundred other students participated in a promotion activity pertaining to studying in China and a job fair.

"There were 34,018 applicants for the HSK in Japan last year, and based on this year's registration momentum, there are likely to be more than 40,000 applicants this year," said Munashi Masuzawa, president of the Japan Youth Development Association.

In 2010, only around 200 people took the HSK, but the number of those taking the HSK exam in Japan has been increasing year by year.

Liu Yong, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at Musashino University, said several hundred students at the university have chosen Chinese as a required course.

Many students initially learned Chinese language just to broaden their career horizons, but through the process, they not only learned Chinese, but also learned about Chinese culture, Liu said.

By participating in such programs as tourism and study trips to China, the students became more and more interested in the country and increasingly active in learning Chinese.

Currently, about 400 universities in Japan offer Chinese language courses, according to Hu Zhiping, minister counselor for education of the Chinese embassy in Japan. Some universities have set up Confucius Institutes, which not only provide a better platform for the Japanese to learn Chinese, but also make great contributions to training Japanese teachers, developing Chinese teaching materials and promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Apart from university education, many Japanese are participating in activities such as Chinese Corner.

Every Sunday afternoon since Aug 5, 2007, dozens to hundreds of Japanese and Chinese people gather in Tokyo's Nishiikebukuro Park to talk in Chinese and Japanese.

"I like this Chinese corner very much. I come here to chat as long as I have time. It's more about the latest Chinese news, culture and making Chinese friends than it is about learning the language," said 67-year-old Biju Nedzu.

Duan Yaozhong, founder of the Chinese corner agrees: "It is free and has no threshold; people can come and go as they like. That's why many Japanese people, many of whom have to work, come to the corner all the year round. It has become a platform for sincere communication between Japanese and Chinese friends."