Japan Sets Standard Index
Due to a recent revision to the immigration law, Japan will see a significant increase in the number of foreign workers accepted into the country starting this month. As a result, the Cultural Affairs Agency, a special body of Japan’s Ministry of Education, has announced plans to establish a new standardized index to evaluate non-native speakers’ level of Japanese language proficiency.
There are a number of exams, including the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which non-native speakers can take to certify their Japanese language level. However, there is no single standard index to compare results from different tests.
At a recent meeting of the government’s Cultural Council, the council made the decision to establish a common index to compare results from different exams. Called the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the new test will serve as the basis for creating a new standardized index for evaluating non-native speakers’ Japanese language proficiency.
Not only is the CEFR an international language proficiency guideline widely used in Europe, it’s also used as a standard for teaching foreign languages and developing teaching materials. It is divided into six levels from A1 (“beginner”) to C2 (“near-native”) and so far has been established for English, German, French, and Spanish.
So if you’re looking to work in Japan, you may need to brush up on those Japanese language skills.
By: Maytinee Kramer
