Japanese language education in India: Difference between revisions

The earliest Japanese language courses in India were established in the 1950s; the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]] began offering a course through their affiliated School of foreign languages, Lodhi Road, New Delhi in 1954, Visva-Bharati (Santiniketan) established a Japanese department in 1954 which made it the first university in India to introduce Japanese language courses.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kongari|first1=Neera|editor1-last=George|editor1-first=P.A.|title=Changing Trends in Japanese Language Education in India in the Context of Globalisation|year=2010|publisher=Northern Book Centre|isbn=9788172112905|page=277}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Keeni|first1=Geeta|title=Development of the Japanese Department at Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal|url=http://publications.nichibun.ac.jp/region/d/NSH/series/seni/2013-10-18/s001/s008/pdf/article.pdf|access-date=16 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716124320/http://publications.nichibun.ac.jp/region/d/NSH/series/seni/2013-10-18/s001/s008/pdf/article.pdf|archive-date=16 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, J N Academy of Languages, New Delhi started Japanese courses in the year 1958. While the Japan-India Cooperation Association in [[Mumbai]] set up a Japanese class in 1958. The [[University of Delhi]] established their Japan Studies Centre in 1969, the [[University of Pune]] established a course in the language in 1977, and New Delhi's [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] began to offer a [[doctorate]] in the language beginning in 1982. However, the language did not enjoy much popularity until the late 1990s.<ref name="2006Survey"/> The growth of interest in the Japanese language took place in a short time, in spite of government inaction from both the Japanese and Indian side. The Japanese government-funded [[Japan Foundation]], an organisation for the promotion of Japanese culture, opened an office in [[New Delhi]] in 1993, its first on the [[Indian subcontinent]]; however, its budget constituted only 2% of the Foundation's global expenditures, as compared to 15.1% for [[East Asia]] and 20.4% for [[Southeast Asia]]. Then-[[Finance Minister of India]] [[Manmohan Singh]] suggested as early as 1997 that India needed 10,000 of its citizens to be fluent in Japanese; however, little concrete action was taken to achieve this goal.<ref>{{citation|chapter=Will the Sun Ever Shine in South Asia|last=Jain|first=Purnendra|pages=187–213|title=Japanese Influences and Presences in Asia|editor-first=Marie|editor-last=Söderberg|editor2-first=Ian|editor2-last=Reader|publisher=Routledge|year=2000|isbn=0-7007-1110-4}}</ref>

[[Pune]] has grown to become a major centre of Japanese language education in India, surpassing larger cities such as [[Mumbai]] and [[Kolkata]] despite their late start relative to the rest of the country. The first Japanese language teachers came to the city in the 1970s; the [[University of Pune]] established a Japanese language course in 1977 and upgraded it to a full department in 1978.<ref name="2006Survey"/><ref name="Mane">{{citation|title=When it comes to Japanese, Pune steals a march over metros|periodical=Indian Express|date=2007-07-07|access-date=2008-01-11|last=Mane|first=Anuradha|url=http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=191801|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060715071806/http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=191801|archive-date=2006-07-15|url-status=dead}}</ref> As such, the city was well-positioned to begin capturing Japanese business when India's information technology boom began. As early as 2004, software exports to Japan made up 12% of Pune's then-[[United States dollar|US$]]1 billion software industry.<ref>{{citation|periodical=The Times of India|title=Sayonara USA, Hello Japan|date=2004-02-18|access-date=2008-01-11|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/pune-times/sayonara-usa-hello-japan/articleshow/503700.cms|first1=Gaurav|last1=Thakur}}</ref> As of 2007, 70 Japanese teachers are estimated to work in the city; it is also the home of the country's branch of the [[Japanese Language Teachers' Association]]. The similarity between [[Japanese grammar]] and that of [[Marathi language|Marathi]] is mentioned as a factor by some Pune residents in easing their study of the language.<ref name="Mane"/>