Japan launches online portal Minato to promote Japanese language in schools

New Delhi. In its bid to promote Japanese language across the world and make more people especially students learn it, the state-run Japan Foundation, Tokyo has introduced an online portal JF Japanese e-Learning Minato.

This portal which offers various level of language learning including self-learning modules is directly managed by the Japan Foundation from Tokyo only.

However, those including school students opting to take advantage of this portal can log in to this online platform and pick some steps on the procedure on using the youtube videos available for the same.

In India, the representatives of the Japan Foundation in India are spreading the word, especially in the schools by using brochures on Minato.

At present, the Japanese language is being taught in 60 higher secondary schools in India and the newly introduced JF Japanese e-Learning Minato would help Japan Foundation in spreading the language in more schools.

In Delhi and NCR towns like Gurgaon, the schools like Blue Bells Model School and Delhi Public Schools (DPS) are already teaching the Japanese language to their students as an elective subject.

“We have introduced online portal Minato (https://minato-jf.jp) to promote the Japanese language around the world. We have started distributing brochures in the classes of various schools to promote language among students. Students and others can register with the portal to take advantage of it. For this we also have youtube videos to help the students to register with this portal conveniently, “Hiroaki Konishi, the Japanse Language Advisor, Japan Foundation, New Delhi told Asian Community News (ACN) Network recently.

The officials of Japan Foundation in India are going to various places for visits and conduct activities lectures, and are also organising Japanese film fest in Delhi and Mumbai. They are also going to more of universities.

Suman Gulati, the director, Blue Bells Group of Schools said that the Japanse language was being taught to the students as an elective subject besides the French language.

“Initially, with the influx of Japanse companies like Suzuki and others in Gurgaon, the demand for the Japanese language was on the rise and students opted for Japanese language considering the potential of this language with their career prospects.  We also conducted a number of cultural exchange programs for the Japanse students making them stay at the homes of our Indian students to make them aware of the rich Indian culture and other aspects of Indian lifestyle,” Suman Gulati told Asian Community News (ACN) Network.

Also read: https://www.asiancommunitynews.com/puri-man-creates-buzz-on-japan-soil/

The Japan Foundation has already been running a programme called “Swagatam” to promote the Japanese language in Indian schools. Under this, its representatives promote the Japanese language with the school students from Delhi and NCR when they are invited to the Japan Foundation campus in New Delhi.

When asked why the number of schools offering Japanese language remained restricted to 60 only, Hiroaki Konishi of Japan foundations said, “We have observed that In India the students have to learn three languages. One mother tongue, then English and Hindi also, and learning the fourth language becomes a difficult task for them as they are already loaded with the elaborate curriculum.”

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