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{{Update|date=March 2020}}
'''Japanese language education in India''' has experienced a boom in the early 21st century, helping it to begin to catch up with [[foreign language]]s more traditionally popular among [[India]]ns, such as [[French language|French]] and [[German language|German]]. A 2006 survey by the [[Japan Foundation]] showed 369 teachers teaching 11,011 students at 106 different institutions; the number of students nearly doubled since the 2005 survey.<ref name="2005Survey">{{citation|url=http://www.jpf.go.jp/j/japan_j/oversea/kunibetsu/2005/india.html|publisher=[[Japan Foundation]]|year=2005|access-date=2008-01-10|contribution=インド (India)|title=2005年海外日本語教育機関調査結果 (Results of the 1999 survey of overseas Japanese language educational institutions)}} {{dead link|date=May 2009}}</ref><ref name="2006Survey">{{citation|url=http://www.jpf.go.jp/j/japan_j/oversea/kunibetsu/2006/india.html|publisher=[[Japan Foundation]]|year=2006|access-date=2008-01-10|contribution=インド (India)|title=2004年海外日本語教育機関調査結果 (Results of the 2006 survey of overseas Japanese language educational institutions)|language=ja}} {{dead link|date=May 2009}}</ref>

==History==

===Origins===
The earliest Japanese language courses in India were established in the 1950s; the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]] began offering a course through their affiliated School of foreign languages, Lodhi Road, New Delhi in 1954, Visva-Bharati (Santiniketan) established a Japanese department in 1954 which made it the first university in India to introduce Japanese language courses.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kongari|first1=Neera|editor1-last=George|editor1-first=P.A.|title=Changing Trends in Japanese Language Education in India in the Context of Globalisation|year=2010|publisher=Northern Book Centre|isbn=9788172112905|page=277}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Keeni|first1=Geeta|title=Development of the Japanese Department at Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal|url=http://publications.nichibun.ac.jp/region/d/NSH/series/seni/2013-10-18/s001/s008/pdf/article.pdf|access-date=16 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716124320/http://publications.nichibun.ac.jp/region/d/NSH/series/seni/2013-10-18/s001/s008/pdf/article.pdf|archive-date=16 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, J N Academy of Languages, New Delhi started Japanese courses in the year 1958. While the Japan-India Cooperation Association in [[Mumbai]] set up a Japanese class in 1958. The [[University of Delhi]] established their Japan Studies Centre in 1969, the [[University of Pune]] established a course in the language in 1977, and New Delhi's [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] began to offer a [[doctorate]] in the language beginning in 1982. However, the language did not enjoy much popularity until the late 1990s.<ref name="2006Survey"/> The growth of interest in the Japanese language took place in a short time, in spite of government inaction from both the Japanese and Indian side. The Japanese government-funded [[Japan Foundation]], an organisation for the promotion of Japanese culture, opened an office in [[New Delhi]] in 1993, its first on the [[Indian subcontinent]]; however, its budget constituted only 2% of the Foundation's global expenditures, as compared to 15.1% for [[East Asia]] and 20.4% for [[Southeast Asia]]. Then-[[Finance Minister of India]] [[Manmohan Singh]] suggested as early as 1997 that India needed 10,000 of its citizens to be fluent in Japanese; however, little concrete action was taken to achieve this goal.<ref>{{citation|chapter=Will the Sun Ever Shine in South Asia|last=Jain|first=Purnendra|pages=187–213|title=Japanese Influences and Presences in Asia|editor-first=Marie|editor-last=Söderberg|editor2-first=Ian|editor2-last=Reader|publisher=Routledge|year=2000|isbn=0-7007-1110-4}}</ref>

===Education and industry===
As a result of the lack of government action, the private sector were forced to take the lead in Japanese language education. The majority of Japanese language teaching in the country is conducted by non-school institutions, while government schools have lagged behind the demand for the language; only 20% of Japanese language students study it in the course of their primary or secondary education, or in university.<ref name="2006Survey"/> [[Business process outsourcing]] and information technology companies are responsible for much of this; as companies in India take aim at the [[Japan]] market, they have increased their recruitment of [[Japanese language|Japanese]]-speaking individuals and offering internal training courses in the language to their employees.<ref>{{citation|url=http://it.nikkei.co.jp/business/news/index.aspx?n=MMITzp000013122006|periodical=Nihon Keizai Shimbun|title=インドに日本語教育ブーム (The Japanese language education boom in India)|date=2006-12-13|access-date=2008-01-10|language=ja}}</ref>

[[Pune]] has grown to become a major centre of Japanese language education in India, surpassing larger cities such as [[Mumbai]] and [[Kolkata]] despite their late start relative to the rest of the country. The first Japanese language teachers came to the city in the 1970s; the [[University of Pune]] established a Japanese language course in 1977 and upgraded it to a full department in 1978.<ref name="2006Survey"/><ref name="Mane">{{citation|title=When it comes to Japanese, Pune steals a march over metros|periodical=Indian Express|date=2007-07-07|access-date=2008-01-11|last=Mane|first=Anuradha|url=http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=191801|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060715071806/http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=191801|archive-date=2006-07-15|url-status=dead}}</ref> As such, the city was well-positioned to begin capturing Japanese business when India's information technology boom began. As early as 2004, software exports to Japan made up 12% of Pune's then-[[United States dollar|US$]]1 billion software industry.<ref>{{citation|periodical=The Times of India|title=Sayonara USA, Hello Japan|date=2004-02-18|access-date=2008-01-11|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/pune-times/sayonara-usa-hello-japan/articleshow/503700.cms|first1=Gaurav|last1=Thakur}}</ref> As of 2007, 70 Japanese teachers are estimated to work in the city; it is also the home of the country's branch of the [[Japanese Language Teachers' Association]]. The similarity between [[Japanese grammar]] and that of [[Marathi language|Marathi]] is mentioned as a factor by some Pune residents in easing their study of the language.<ref name="Mane"/>

[[South India]], though traditionally a leader in the information technology sector which is driving so much of the demand for Japanese speakers, has actually lagged behind the country when it comes to teaching the language. [[Bangalore University]] established a course in the language, but unlike the [[University of Pune]] or [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]], it has done little to promote the language.<ref name="Subramani">{{citation|periodical=Asia Times|title=Japanese offers Indians a new challenge|date=2003-02-07|access-date=2008-03-23|last=Subramani|first=L.|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/EB07Df06.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030219081204/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/EB07Df06.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=2003-02-19}}</ref> The [[Japanese Language Proficiency Test]] was not even offered in south India until 2000, when a test centre was established in [[Chennai]]; the test was first offered in [[Bangalore]] in 2007.<ref>{{citation|contribution=List of Local Host Institutions of JLPT|title=Info for JLPT 2007|publisher=The Japan Foundation|date=June 2007|access-date=2008-03-23|url=http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt/e/list_e.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080201014407/http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt/e/list_e.html |archive-date = 2008-02-01}}</ref><ref name="JLPT2000"/> The entire Japanese teaching and translation industry in Southern India was estimated to produce revenues of only [[Indian rupee|Rs.]] 1 million ([[United States dollar|US$21,000]] at then-current exchange rates) as of 2003, with only 12 schools teaching the language.<ref name="Subramani"/> Bangalore has few schools like Stonehill International School and [[Trio World Academy]] which offers after school Japanese language classes for expats children.

===Shortfall===
Despite the increase in the number of Indians studying Japanese, there remains a major shortfall relative to the needs of industry; for example, in the translation business, there are 100 jobs available for every 20 candidates. The Japanese government is working with organisations in India to address the shortfall, and aims to expand the number of Indian students learning Japanese to 30,000 by 2012.<ref>{{citation|periodical=The Economic Times|last=Bhosale|first=Jayashree|title=Companies scouting for Japanese and German translators|date=2007-11-02|access-date=2008-01-11|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Company/Corporate_Trends/Companies_scouting_for_Japanese__German_translators/rssarticleshow/2510547.cms}}</ref> In 2006, the [[Central Board of Secondary Education]] announced plans to introduce a syllabus for Japanese language teaching, making Japanese the first [[East Asian languages|East Asian language]] to be offered as part of the curriculum in Indian secondary schools. The emphasis will be on the spoken language, rather than the written; according to the syllabus, [[kanji]] would not be taught until class VIII.<ref>{{citation|title=Growing yen for the Japanese language|last=Paul|first=John L.|date=2006-04-24|access-date=2008-01-11|url=http://www.hindu.com/edu/2006/04/24/stories/2006042400350200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314085409/http://www.hindu.com/edu/2006/04/24/stories/2006042400350200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-03-14|work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai, India}}</ref>

==Standardised testing==
{| class="wikitable" align="right"
|+ JLPT examinees in India
!rowspan=2|Year
!rowspan=2|City
!colspan=5|Examinees by Level
|-
! L1
! L2
! L3
! L4
! Total
|-
|rowspan=4|2006<ref name="JLPT2006">{{citation|title=Japanese Language Proficiency Test 2006: Summary of the Results |url=http://www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/pdf/result_2006_pri.pdf |publisher=Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, The Japan Foundation |year=2006 |access-date=2007-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710005338/http://www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/pdf/result_2006_pri.pdf |archive-date=2007-07-10 |url-status=dead }} </ref>
| [[Chennai]]
| 33
| 208
| 628
| 855
| 1724
|-
| [[Kolkata]]
| 1
| 31
| 87
| 141
| 260
|-
| [[New Delhi]]
| 48
| 292
| 534
| 395
| 1269
|-
| [[Pune]]
| 76
| 383
| 715
| 939
| 2113
|-
|rowspan=4|2005<ref name="JLPT2005">{{citation|title=Japanese Language Proficiency Test 2005: Summary of the Results|url=http://www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/pdf/result_2005_pri.pdf |publisher=Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, The Japan Foundation|year=2005|access-date=2006-12-01 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070106183655/http://www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/pdf/result_2005_pri.pdf |archive-date = 2007-01-06}}</ref>
| [[Chennai]]
| 26
| 136
| 326
| 645
| 1133
|-
| [[Kolkata]]
| 7
| 24
| 67
| 110
| 208
|-
| [[New Delhi]]
| 42
| 195
| 384
| 254
| 875
|-
| [[Pune]]
| 66
| 394
| 675
| 725
| 1860
|-
|rowspan=4|2004<ref name="JLPT2004">{{citation|title=Japanese Language Proficiency Test 2004: Summary of the Results|url=http://www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/pdf/result_2004_5.pdf |publisher=Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, The Japan Foundation|year=2004|access-date=2006-12-03 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050827215746/http://www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/pdf/result_2004_5.pdf |archive-date = 2005-08-27}}</ref>
| [[Chennai]]
| 41
| 168
| 298
| 500
| 1007
|-
| [[Kolkata]]
| 2
| 28
| 68
| 87
| 185
|-
| [[New Delhi]]
| 37
| 170
| 254
| 209
| 670
|-
| [[Pune]]
| 63
| 373
| 663
| 928
| 2027
|-
|rowspan=4|2003<ref name="JLPT2003">{{citation|title=Japanese Language Proficiency Test 2003: Summary of the Results|url=http://www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/jlpt_result.pdf |publisher=Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, The Japan Foundation|year=2003|access-date=2006-12-03 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041117014906/http://www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/jlpt_result.pdf |archive-date = 2004-11-17}}</ref>
| [[Chennai]]
| 26
| 136
| 326
| 645
| 1133
|-
| [[Kolkata]]
| 2
| 25
| 59
| 63
| 149
|-
| [[New Delhi]]
| 37
| 156
| 230
| 191
| 614
|-
| [[Pune]]
| 61
| 322
| 636
| 852
| 1941
|-
|rowspan=4|2002
| [[Chennai]]
|colspan=5|''Data missing''
|-
| [[Kolkata]]
|colspan=5|''Data missing''
|-
| [[New Delhi]]
|colspan=5|''Data missing''
|-
| [[Pune]]
|colspan=5|''Data missing''
|-
|rowspan=4|2001<ref name="JLPT2001">{{citation|title=The 2001 Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Number of Examinees by Sites|publisher=The Japan Foundation|date=2002-02-14|access-date=2006-12-03|url=http://www.iijnet.or.jp/jpf/jlpt/contents/2001not-e.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030407202559/http://www.iijnet.or.jp/jpf/jlpt/contents/2001not-e.html |archive-date = 2003-04-07}}</ref>
| [[Chennai]]
| 2
| 50
| 140
| 385
| 577
|-
| [[Kolkata]]
| 1
| 14
| 61
| 94
| 170
|-
| [[New Delhi]]
| 32
| 121
| 134
| 131
| 418
|-
| [[Pune]]
| 20
| 157
| 371
| 405
| 953
|-
|rowspan=4|2000<ref name="JLPT2000">{{citation|title=The 2000 Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Number of Examinees by Sites|publisher=The Japan Foundation|date=2001-02-07|access-date=2006-12-03|url=http://www.iijnet.or.jp/jpf/jlpt/contents/2000not-e.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030407204307/http://www.iijnet.or.jp/jpf/jlpt/contents/2000not-e.html |archive-date = 2003-04-07}}</ref>
| [[Chennai]]
| 10
| 23
| 89
| 197
| 319
|-
| [[Kolkata]]
| 1
| 17
| 37
| 74
| 129
|-
| [[New Delhi]]
| 11
| 94
| 136
| 120
| 361
|-
| [[Pune]]
| 21
| 139
| 280
| 311
| 751
|-
|rowspan=3|1999<ref name="JLPT1999">{{citation|title=The 1999 Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Number of Examinees by Sites |date=2000-02-07 |access-date=2006-12-13 |url=http://www.iijnet.or.jp/jpf/jlpt/contents/99not-e.html |publisher=The Japan Foundation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010627025034/http://www.iijnet.or.jp/jpf/jlpt/contents/99not-e.html |archive-date=June 27, 2001 }}</ref>
| [[Kolkata]]
| 1
| 2
| 50
| 86
| 139
|-
| [[New Delhi]]
| 10
| 97
| 119
| 126
| 352
|-
| [[Pune]]
| 23
| 142
| 377
| 393
| 935
|-
|rowspan=3|1998<ref name="JLPT1999"/>
| [[Kolkata]]
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 192
|-
| [[New Delhi]]
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 446
|-
| [[Pune]]
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 698
|-
|}

The [[Japanese Language Proficiency Test]] is offered in eight Indian cities as of October 2020;<ref>https://www.studyfrenchspanish.com/jlpt-exam-india/</ref> the most recently added test site was that in Salem in Tamil Nadu. <ref name="JLPT2000"/><ref name="JLPT2006"/> The Level 4 examination, aimed at beginning students with fewer than 150 contact hours of instruction, is the most widely attempted; numbers decrease at higher levels. The number of examinees quadrupled between 1998 and 2006. [[Chennai]] had the fastest growth in the number of examinees during that period, while [[Kolkata]] was slowest.<ref name="JLPT2006"/><ref name="JLPT1999"/> [[JETRO]] also offer their Business Japanese Language Test in Bangalore, Mumbai, and New Delhi; in 2006, 147 people attempted the examination, forming about 7.7% of all overseas examinees. 94% of all Indian examinees scored 410 points or less out of 800, as compared to 70% of all overseas examinees.<ref name="JETROStats">{{citation|url=http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/bjt/data/jlrt/pdf/res13report_en.pdf |title=13th JLRT (2006): A Summary Report|publisher=Japan External Trade Organization|year=2006|access-date=2006-12-01 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192906/http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/bjt/data/jlrt/pdf/res13report_en.pdf |archive-date = 2007-09-27}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Japanese people in India]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{citation|title=インドにおける日本語教育 : 問題点と将来の展望 (Japanese-Language Education in India : Present and Future)|journal=Current Report on Japanese-language Education Around the Globe|volume=2|issn=1340-3184|last=Motwani|first=Prem|date=1995-01-31|url=http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110001023210/|access-date=2008-01-11|language=ja}}

{{Japanese as a second or foreign language}}

[[Category:Japanese-language education by country|India]]
[[Category:Languages of India]]
[[Category:Language education in India]]

Japanese language education in India - Revision history

WikiDwarf at 10:39, 27 July 2022