The Roles of Native Japanese Speaker Teachers in Japanese Language Programmes at High Schools in South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand

Abstract

Learners of Japanese language outside Japan are mostly high school students, and the majority of their teachers are non-native speakers of Japanese. The Japanese government has dispatched Japanese native speakers to high schools in Asian countries, but the roles of these native speakers, as well as their teaching methods and relationship with local teachers, have not been clearly identified. It is important that such programmes meet the needs of the local schools if Japan wishes to promote Japanese language and culture as a form of soft power. Based on interview data collected in high schools in South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia, this chapter examines whether the Japanese government policy on overseas Japanese language education addresses local needs and satisfies local expectations.