Survey on Japanese-Language Education Abroad 2012
FINAL RESULTS

The Japan Foundation conducts the Survey on Japanese-Language Education Abroad every three years to gauge the most current status of Japanese-language education around the world. Some of the information is summarized below and includes PDFs of some graphs. For information on how to obtain a physical copy of the book of statistics or the summary, please visit the Japan Foundation Headquarters website. PDF excerpts of the report are available there as well.

For a searchable database of surveyed institutions, please visit the Directory of Japanese-Language Educational Institutions. At this site, you can search for institutions which teach Japanese in your state. Click "North America," then "United States," and then click on the "State/City" button.

 

Worldwide data

The total number of Japanese-language learners around the world increased by 9.2% since 2009, totaling over 3.98 million people.

136 Countries/Regions:

Number of Learners	3,985,669	9.2% UP since 2009 survey (3,651,232)
Number of Institutions	16,046	7.5% UP since 2009 survey (14,925)
Number of Teachers	63,805	28.1% UP since 2009 (49,803)

Countries/regions with increased learners: 77

Countries/regions with decreased learners: 61

Countries that have programs now which did not in 2009: Solomon, Haiti, Malta, Monaco, Albania, Sudan, Guinea, Democratic Republic of the Congo

 

Data Graphs and Charts (PDFs)

Japanese-Language Learners Worldwide (2012): Regional Percentages [PDF/385KB]

Numbers of Japanese-Language Learners: Top 10 Countries (2009, 2012) [PDF/100KB]

Numbers of Japanese-Teaching Institutions: Top 10 Countries (2009, 2012) [PDF/103KB]

Numbers of Teachers of Japanese: Top 10 Countries (2009, 2012) [PDF/105KB]

 

Worldwide Survey Description

1. Objective: To understand the present condition of Japanese language education in the world.

2. Targets: Organizations which conduct Japanese education in countries/regions with the ability to answer the survey. Survey subjects do not include the following: ①Groups/Activities that have no real base of operations ②Schools for children of Japanese residents/expats ③Broadcasting stations and website administrators which conduct Japanese education targeting the general public ④Short-term hands-on Japanese activities.

3. Survey Period: July 2012 to March 2013

4. Survey Method: Online, email, fax, and mailed questionnaires. Other (by hand, by phone, etc.).

5. Survey return rate: 93.2％. Number of surveys distributed：19,814 institutions. Number of surveys returned：18,480 institutions. Number of validated surveys:16,046 institutions. Number of invalidated surveys (”We do not/no longer teach Japanese”): 2,434 institutions.

 

 

U.S. Data

 

In the U.S., the number of learners increased by 10.4% since 2009, with a total of 155,939 individuals.

Number of Learners	155,939	10.4% UP since 2009 survey (141,244)
Number of Institutions	1,449	20.1% UP since 2009 survey (1,206)
Number of Teachers	4,270	20.6% UP since 2009 (3,541)

 

 

Data Graphs and Charts (PDFs)

Japanese-Teaching Institutions, Teachers of Japanese, and Japanese-Language Learners in the U.S.: The Past 40 Years [PDF/311KB]

Numbers of Japanese-Language Learners in the U.S.: The Past 10 Years [PDF/170KB]

The Five States With the Most Japanese-Language Learners in 2012 [PDF/468KB]

Numbers of Japanese-Language Learners in the U.S. by State (2012) [PDF/462KB]

Growth and Decline of Japanese-Language Learners in the U.S. by State (2012) [PDF/467KB]

Japanese-Related Degrees Offered by U.S. Higher Education Institutions (2012) [PDF/456KB]

Japanese Teacher Training Courses Offered by U.S. Higher Education Institutions (2012) [PDF/296KB]

Teachers’ Estimates of Students’ Reasons for Learning Japanese (U.S., 2009 and 2012) [PDF/642KB]

Problems and Concerns with Japanese-Language Teaching According to U.S. Teachers (2012) [PDF/565KB]

 

U.S. Survey Description

1. Targets: 50 states and Washington D.C., U.S. Navy, Marine, and Army bases in Japan.

2. Survey Method: Teachers Associations, Embassies, individuals, CAL conducted online questionnaires (plus, email, phone, and by hand)

3. Survey return rate: 91.8％. Number of surveys distributed: 2,076 institutions. Number of surveys returned: 1,907 institutions. Number of validated ：1,449 institutions. Number of invalidated surveys (”We do not/no longer teach Japanese”) = 458 institutions.

 

 

U.s. Supplementary Survey data

Japan Foundation, Los Angeles administered a seperate, supplementary survey accompanying the main survey from Japan Foundation Headquarters. The results of this supplementary survey are not available in print, and can only be found here.

Data Graphs and Charts (PDFs)

Institutions with Japanese Language Programs (n=1,011)

What type of Japanese language program is at your school?　[PDF/326KB]

Are there any Japanese language courses for specific purposes?　[PDF/487KB]

Student Learning Outcomes: Does your school require each program to create it? How much has your program progressed with it?　[PDF/337KB]

Which textbooks are you mainly using now?　[PDF/546KB]

Institutions without Japanese Language Programs (n=264)

Which of the following languages are taught at your school?　[PDF/406KB]

When was the Japanese program discontinued?　[PDF/419KB]

Why was the Japanese program discontinued?　[PDF/311KB]

Why has your school not opened a Japanese language program?　[PDF/298KB]

 

Supplementary Survey Description

1. Objective: To further understand the present condition of Japanese language education in the U.S.

2. Targets: (1) Institutions with Japanese Language Programs [n =1,011 (70%)], (2)  Institutions Without Japanese Language Programs [n = 264 institutions]