The government has drawn up a plan to establish a system to certify the nation's Japanese language schools and make teaching a state-qualified profession. The move is aimed at improving the quality of Japanese language education, which is thought to vary widely. Presently, teachers are not required to hold state qualification.
According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, as of 2021, there were about 2.76 million foreigners living in Japan. This is the second consecutive year for the figure to drop due to the novel coronavirus -- from 2.93 million at the end of 2019 -- but overall, the number has been on an upward trend in recent years.
A law to promote Japanese language education enacted in 2019 requires that Japanese language education levels be maintained and improved, and the government has been studying concrete measures toward that end.
