Tokyo wants Japanese-language teachers to make the grade

New certification program to raise standards as more foreigners seek employment

20190304N Japanese school

The number of foreigners learning Japanese has grown faster than teachers of the language. (Photo by Kento Awashima)

ATSUKO SANO, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Japan aims to set up a nationally recognized accreditation program for teachers of its native tongue, seeking to improve language education for foreign workers as the country prepares to welcome them in greater numbers.

The certification program, outlined Monday by a government committee, would start as early as fiscal 2020.

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