RESOURCE PAPER - 5

Japanese Language the cornerstone ofJapan-India
bilateral relations

byGeethanjali Rajan
Suguna Ramamoorthy

Japanese Language the cornerstone ofJapan-India
bilateral relations

byGeethanjali Rajan
Suguna Ramamoorthy

PREFACE
The Japanese Language School of Indo-Japan Chamber ofCommerce and Industry (IJCCI) was inaugurated on the same day
as the establishment of IJCCI in 1989. We, in the Chamber consider
that Japanese language and culture are the two eyes for doing
business with Japan. This Resource Paper on “ Japanese Languagethe Cornerstone of Japan-India Bilateral Relations” examines theimportance of Japanese language in the context of steadily growing
economic relations between the two countries.
The authors of the Resource Paper are Ms. Geethanjali Rajan, asenior teacher of IJCCI Language School and Ms. Suguna
Ramamoorthy, Secretary-General of IJCCI. Ms. Geethanjali Rajan
who has shown promise even as a student in our School, is one of oursenior teachers, with a lot of commitment, interest and passion for
the Japanese language. She has undergone a Japanese Language
Teachers Training Programme recently at Urawa, Japan, courtesy
the Japan Foundation. Ms. Suguna Ramamoorthy has also visited
Japan through the Japan Foundation and is involved with the School
and the Chamber almost from the beginning. Their rich experiencefinds expression in this small booklet.
With my experience of working with Japan closely in several
fields for fifty years, I feel that this small book is stimulating andthought-provoking. I hope the readers will find the bookinteresting and useful.

February 2016

N. Krishnaswami
ChairmanJapanese Language - the cornerstone ofJapan-India bilateral relations

India-Japan relations has assumed great momentum in recent
times, especially after the Modi-Abe camaraderie. Japan depends
on India as much as India depends on Japan, or even more. The
cooperation between India and Japan from time immemorial, now
extends to a host of activities - economic, social, strategic,
security besides education and culture.
The growth of the two economies will be a boon to the Asian
sub-continent. While diplomats, scholars and statesmen in bothcountries endorse this sentiment, why is it that a revolution inIndia-Japan relations is not happening? A lack of proper
understanding of Japanese language and culture could be a reasonfor this. It is in this context that the Language School of IndoJapan Chamber of Commerce and Industry thought it fit toexplore the language aspect and how the gap could be bridged.
With the advent of Japanese collaborations like Maruti
Suzuki, India witnessed a surge in the number of people interested
in learning Japanese. This was the situation nearly two or three5

decades ago. But Japanese language was still far away from being
the choice of a foreign language to learn. If we look at the recent
scenario, in 2015 the number of Indian companies doing businesswith Japan has increased many fold. A large number of Japanesecompanies have set up offices in different parts of India. The factthat Japan has taken a great interest in developing businesscorridors and infrastructure projects in India, has led to many
people desiring to learn Japanese with an idea of businessinteractions or to find employment with Japanese companies.
This in turn has kindled the interest of engineering colleges, andtheir students wanting to learn Japanese and look at it as a foreign
language option.

Japanese language learning today - a few facts
In the backdrop of increasing economic and culturalinteraction between the two countries, and India's commitment tostrengthen relations with Japan, let us look at the facts related toJapanese language education presently in India.
The very first Japanese language courses in India were started
as early as the 1950s.

There are universities, even if they are dismally few innumber, which offer undergraduate, postgraduate anddoctoral programmes in Japanese.

Some universities have a dedicated department for Japanese
language and culture studies.

6The number of candidates taking the Japanese Language
Proficiency Test (JLPT- nihongo nouryoku shiken) has grownexponentially in the last decade in India.

There has been a great increase in the number of private
institutes and language schools teaching Japanese in many
parts of India in the last ten years.

Many colleges, especially for engineering undergraduate
courses, now offer a semester of Japanese as an optional
language, where previously the choice was French orGerman.

Japanese is offered as an elective language in some schools
where students have been learning it in place of thirdlanguage or as an optional foreign language.

The Japan Foundation
Japan Foundation, a quasi-government organisation(recently privatised) dedicated to the promotion of Japanese
language, art and culture all over the world, has contributed agreat deal to this objective. To mention a few of its activities:
Offering scholarship programmes for under graduate / post
graduate programmes in Japanese universities for foreign
students.

Training in Japanese language and culture by native Japanese
language teachers to language teachers across the globe.

7

Offer short duration Japanese language programmes in Japanto foreign Japanese language teachers.

Provision of Japanese language teaching materials.



Library Support programme.

Exchange of scholars.

Exchange of foreign students & youths.

Sending teams of Japanese cultural / martial artistes todifferent countries.

Inviting artistes from other countries to Japan.

Conducting Japanese language proficiency tests - JLPT
exams (to measure Japanese language proficiency of foreignstudents) and awarding of certificates.

Promoting and funding Japanese language speech contests indifferent countries - regional and national.

These are some of the good activities of the JapanFoundation. By introducing programmes of this kind, a greatnumber of people - students and elders not only developed
interest in Japan and Japanese culture but also gained Japanese
language knowledge.
Today, thousands of students in India (irrespective of age andgender) actively take up JLPT exams from level 5 to Level 1.
Initially in India the JLPT exam was an annual affair, later it
became half-yearly. There has been a steady increase in thenumber of students opting for JLPT exams as multinational

8companies started showing importance and value to the JLPT
certificate holders of higher Levels of proficiency. The goal ofstudents appears to be to learn a few hundred kanjis in a few
months, some basic grammar and answering the audio tape of
conversation of native speakers, all of objective pattern. This
exercise is being achieved very well by many students. Private
colleges and language schools also insist on the JLPT as ayardstick for recruitment of teachers.

Points to ponder
A tendency to depend too much on clearing JLPT exams andnot fully comprehending the fundamental goal of language learning
results in an inability to communicate in Japanese with the nativeJapanese. In recent years, many voices of dissent have arisen fromacademics within Japan as well as abroad, as the JLPT is more a testof understanding than expressing in Japanese language. It does not
require any amount of speaking or writing to be done. While it is atest that can certify one's level of understanding Japanese, it does
not take into cognisance the expressive aspect of language. In any
language learning, especially in the study of foreign language thecommunicative abilities are to be encouraged and certified.
Multinational companies who recruit people for Japanese skills relyon this certification, probably due to the lack of any otheralternative. As a result, students too want to write the JLPT and becertified as proficient in Japanese language, all the time not reallythinking of actual communication in Japanese as a goal ! This has
led to a downward spiral with many of the so-called Japanese
9Language Centres considering test-taking as a strategy, rather thanlearning the language.
Recognising these facts, Japanese academics and the JapanFoundation Japanese Language Institute at Urawa and Kansai
have emphasised the model of communication- based language
education. This model is based on the ability of actual, practicaland necessary communication in Japanese emphasising the“can-do” model and the need for a cultural paradigm to Japanese
language learning. If the goal is to learn Japanese and speak orwrite in the language, keeping in mind the culture of its people,
the listener as well as the speaker, we have to take a re-look at thestructure and approach to language learning. For the present, it isextremely important to keep sight of the ultimate goal of Japanese
language learning - “communication” and teach the languagewith a firm view of achieving the goal. Tests aside,
communicative ability should be the focus of the course and not
merely achieving a particular level.
Opening the doors for new programmes and ideas:
The number of colleges and universities offering a full-time
undergraduate or postgraduate programme in Japanese still
remains a handful or less. More than sixty years into diplomatic
ties with Japan and an expectation of booming economic
cooperation, must galvanise more universities to offer
opportunities for young Indians to study Japanese full-time.
Delhi has always been a hub of Japanese teaching because of thefull-time University programmes in Japanese.
10Some colleges and Japanese language teaching institutions
could be identified in different cities in India to offer
undergraduate / post-graduate programmes in Japanese language.
Also, starting of Part-time Diploma programmes - one year / twoyears (relatively less duration) by institutions dedicated topromote Japan-India relations would be an ideal strategy fortraining young graduates whose talents can be exploited bymultinational companies in India. Also, sector-specificspecialised Japanese language Diploma Courses (part-time) by
native Japanese in select fields such as tourism / medical /manufacturing / IT / legal / Accounts & audit etc. can be offered toeducated men and women in their 40s and 50s through the good
offices of the Japan Foundation to interested students . Instead of
hiring interpretors and translators, the readily available
knowledge pool can be tapped by multinational companies fortheir requirements from time to time. The sector-specificprogrammes can also be entrusted with organisations intensivelyinvolved in promoting India-Japan relations. These organisations
can be tagged on with local Japanese industries for on job
exposure in order to achieve a higher level of competency. To beprecise, Japanese private universities / management institutions
can draw a Model Certificate Programme accepted bymultinational companies across the globe.

Today's learner profile:
The student profile in the Japanese language classroom haschanged much since the early days. From the learner who wanted11

to learn a foreign language to broaden perspective, the profile haschanged to one where the learner wants to translate or interpret oreven learn the language well enough to teach it. It is heartening tonote that educated men and women in their 40s and 50s who carrywith them a great deal of maturity and experience show a lot ofinterest these days in learning Japanese language.

Some handicaps and possible solutions:Ever since the Japan Foundation was privatised, there is areal dearth in the availability of Japanese textbooks, audio visualmaterials etc. The study materials are still quite difficult to source
in India at a reasonable cost. Hence, many institutions look atusing the already tried, tested and widely available older texts.
More textbooks from India, based on the Indian ethos may be anarea worth exploring by the Japan Foundation. A paucity of native
language teachers is also a handicap to many teaching
institutions.
With the rise in demand for Japanese language
learning and the growing dearth of Japanese language teachers
and this skewed ratio has to be corrected, if we should move in theright direction. The Japan Foundation, dedicated to the promotionof Japanese language and culture could identify and encourageretired language teachers from Japan who have a passion to teachJapanese language, and they could be placed in dedicated andwilling institutions to teach the language on a subsidised
contractual arrangement. Besides, a good rapport between thelanguage teaching institutions and the local Japanese community(men, women and children) will facilitate mutual appreciation of12

the two cultures and also enhance the scope for developing
communication skills among students.
Japanese businessmen appreciate the Indian talents. While
many of the Indian companies are able to vibe well and be
successful in their business with Japanese, after years, some times
even after decades of arduous exercise. If considerable effort andtime is spent in providing Japanese language communication
skills to their key workforce, the rapport ‘nakayoku’ can be built
between them with ease.
The coming decades are going to witness India and Japanworking together closely in several areas. A great deal of effort
should be put in to pave the way for the two countries to come closer.
Language should not be a barrier in achieving this objective.
There has to be a shift in the mind set of both Indian andJapanese businessmen. The Japanese businessmen who come to
do business in India can set aside some time to be spent with theIndian businessmen to understand the business environ andbusiness nuances and widen their contacts so that they will not
feel strange in the new soil. The fact that India is a vast country
and people are heterogeneous, each region, be it east, west, northor south have different culture, language and work culture, should
be appreciated and understood by the Japanese. A soundknowledge of the land and the people can help Japanesebusinessmen succeed in their mission. It is of utmost importantfor every Japanese (be it business or otherwise) to utilise every
opportunity to mix with their local Indian neighbours and benefit
by their knowledge and experience.
13Finally, a few words to the Indian entrepreneurs who look up
to Japan for trade, technology and investment. Japan is known
for its advanced technology. If Japanese technology has to beappropriately harnessed and put to use in the Indian soil, asenvisioned by Prime Minister Modi's “Make in India”, theJapanese language should not come as a barrier. An average
Indian would easily know at least three languages and hence
learning another language is not going to be an arduous task.
Similarly, the citizen of a vast country, having moved to different
parts and absorbed the culture is never going to be tired ofabsorbing one more culture - the Japanese culture, and the highfamily and business values of Indian and Japanese are similar. If
we are able to break the barrier of Japanese language, the Sky is
the limit for India-Japan bonhomie !

14