The Latest News in ELT

May 2005

New High-Tech Gaijin Cards
The Justice Ministry is to start issuing newly designed alien registration cards from tomorrow, June 1. The new, "high-tech" cards incoporate the latest in anti-forgery measures, such as holograms and an embossed ministry crest, following the discovery last year of forging equipment in Tokyo that was being used to make fake cards sold to Chinese immigrants. The ministry expects it to take about five years before the new design spreads to all foreign residents, as most cards are valid for that length of time. About 370,000 cards, commonly known as "gaijin cards" and which are compulsory for all non-Japanese residents over the age of 16, are issued every year. They are the most common form of photo identification used by foreigners and contain information such as home address and employment details. (May 31, 2005 )

Universities With Foreign Ties Double
The number of Japanese universities with ties to schools abroad has doubled in the last five years, according to the education ministry. The ministry released the results of a survey last week that showed the number of such schools stood at 11,292 as of October, 2004. Included are schools that cooperate in areas such as research or the transfer of academic credits. About 30% of the schools allow credits earned abroad to count at home, though almost 87% participate in student exchanges. By country, the US and China accounted for just over 18% of the schools each, while South Korea made up a little more than 10%. The survey also showed that a growing number of Japanese universities are setting up educational facilities or offices abroad. ()

Berlitz Teachers Arrested for Drug Smuggling
Police announced on Thursday that they have recently arrested three English teachers on charges of smuggling marijuana into the country using international mail. The three, who all used to teach at the same Berlitz school in Osaka, are accused of using an online drug dealer that operates out of Canada. 25-year old Anthony Momirofsky and a 33-year old fellow Australian allegedly received 15.1 grams of marijuana, with a street value of about ¥120,000, on March 16. They claimed that the stress of life abroad had been their main motive. Both have already been prosecuted. Police also arrested a 31-year old Canadian who received 13.9 grams of marijuana on April 6, also from the same site. (May 30, 2005 )

Not So Different After All
There was an article on the OhMyNews.com site last Friday by Irishman Denis Burke on his one-year stint spent teaching English to children in Korea. Most of the article consists of encounters with the cultural differences between Korea and his home and, apart from the local vocabulary, most of them could just as easily be said about Japan.
'Dynamic Korea' a Time to Remember for Expats ()

Are You a Teacher or a Teller?
In his regular Daily Yomiuri column Indirectly Speaking, Mike Guest today explains his distinction between teaching and telling. He does not consider discrete vocabulary or idioms to be something to be taught, anymore than one's name or address. Rather, the focus of teaching should be on items with "intrinsic value" and "productive value." He illustrates the idea with a brief explanation of the "value" of the past perfect tense, but points out that simply providing grammtical explanations is not sufficient, though it remains common in Japanese classrooms. Guest questions the value of teaching or learning in a piecemeal way, such as word or idiom lists, and doubts that they have any real value in terms of developing a "productive language system."
The difference between telling and teaching (May 27, 2005 )

Plash Up Your English
Mobile contents provider Contents yesterday announced a new Flash-based service for those wanting to learn a bit of English conversation every day. "Plash!" (a combination of "plus" and "flash") uses phones' inbuilt Flash Lite technology to deliver the content to users of EZWeb, part of the au mobile phone service. Cartoon characters deliver expressions or business words of the day, and the service also includes games and information on new movie releases. The cost is ¥315 per month.
Plash! (Japanese) ()

Hercules Freeze
A freeze was announced on new listings to the Hercules exchange for start-up companies. The Osaka Stock Exchange announced the decision yesterday following recent problems caused by the exchange's inability to handle huge online orders for new issues. The freeze will remain until January of next year. Three previously announced new listings, including that of English school operator Zenken All, are expected to go ahead as planned in June. ()

E-learning on the Move
The UK's Guardian newspaper web site carried a piece this week by Michael Thomas, an associate professor in English at Nagoya University of Commerce and Business. He looks at the changes happening at universities worldwide as they try to keep up with the "wireless environment" that is increasingly a natural part of life for young students. With hardwired computer labs being replaced with more mobile learning networks, "m-learning" looks certain to change the very nature of how we study and teach.
E-learning on the move (May 26, 2005 )

Half of Parents Support Sogogakushu
Just under 50% of parents of elementary and junior high school students are in favor of "sogogakushu" or comprehensive studies policy introduced in 2002, according to a survey carried out by the national PTA organization. 8.1% of parents said they thought the system was excellent, while 40.2% thought it was good. In contrast those who think the system is very bad accounted for just 1.8%, and 8.6% said it was not very good. 38.6% said they had no comment either way. Meanwhile, about 40% of parents are against the five-day school week. The principal objection to the reduced school week was that it adversely affects academic standards, while the main reason for those in favor was that students have more time with family. Under the policy, schools set aside about 3 hours per week for studies that are not part of the national curriculum and do not use official textbooks. Subjects such as English conversation fall into this category. ()

English Boom in Ise
An article on the Asahi.com web site looks at the English learning boom happening in the city of Ise, Mie Prefecture. With the Ise Jingu shrine and Mikimoto pearls, the city has long been a popular destination for foreign tourists. Recently it has been caught up in the internationalization that has followed the opening of the Chubu International Airport and the Aichi World Expo, and residents are feeling a growing need to acquire English language skills. This spring the prefectural Ujiyamada Commercial High School became one of the latest additions to the government's SELHi (Super English Langugae High School) scheme and, according to the article, is the only one of the 31 SELHis this year to have laid out its English program in detail. Tokyo-based Zoo Phonics Academy recently opened a new school in the city to cash in on the demand for early English education. And Ise Jingu Shrine administrators have recently become more serious about providing quality information in English about their World Heritage site.
Story in Japanese ()

ECC Launches Keitai Lesson
English conversation school operator ECC has launched a new online site for mobile phone users. The company teamed up with Kiss-FM Entertainment and karaoke maker Daiichi Kosho to launch ECC Keitai Lesson on Monday. Users do a level check test before being able to download lessons and contents are divided into seven different areas. These include English karaoke, dictionaries and pronunciation practice. The site has a virtual town, called ECC English Town, which students access using avatars. Avatars can interact with each other and with those of teachers using points earned by answering questions during lessons. The online content was developed by ECC teachers and uses some of the original texts developed by the school. The company feels the entertainment value of the service makes it unique among online English learning sites and that this will give added motivation to students to continue learning. The service is available for users of the i-mode, EZWeb and Vodafone Live services and costs ¥315 per month.
ECC Keitai Lesson (Japanese) (May 25, 2005 )

Internationalizing Tochigi
Morikawa Michiko, 60, is trying to make Tochigi prefecture into a more international place. For many years the president of an English conversation school and study-abroad service, Morikawa recently launched a program for children as young as 1-5 years old to study English conversation. After testing out educational materials designed for young native speakers of English last year, this spring she started the program in which Japanese and native speaking teachers work in pairs at kindegartens. The schools themselves have been unsure how to go about setting up such programs, though they acknowledge the growing desire of parents nationwide to start their children learning English from an early age.

Morikawa was born into a family that ran a guest house in the popular Tochigi tourist town of Nikko, and from an early age became used to meeting many foreign tourists. She graduated in English Literature at university and opened an English school in the prefectural capital of Utsunomiya, where she felt there was a lack of contact with other cultures. She has since sent over 1,000 junior high school students overseas on study-abroad programs. (from a Mainichi Shimbun story) (May 24, 2005 )

Wiggling All the Way to the Bank
ELT News first reported on the early-education phenomenon from Down Under known as the Wiggles back in February 2003, though they have been going considerably longer. They are now considered Australia's "biggest entertainment export" and last year earned $45 million, ahead of Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, according to The Age. The four performers have maintained tight control over their business but have recently had to become more organized with the financial side of things, particularly with a touring show that requires two 16-metre trucks, three tour buses and a cast of 13 dancers and 10 permanent crew. The group formed in 1991, when three of the four current members were studying early childhood education at Macquarie University. They have since sold some 17 million DVDs worldwide and sell a huge variety of Wiggles merchandising for kids.They are also huge in America - a San Diego newspaper described them as "the combined equivalent of Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles amongst the pre-school set" - thanks largely to a major boost in popularity when they decided to go ahead with a tour in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Business affairs general manager Mike Conway says, "No one competes in live shows with us. No one else is doing 750,000 tickets in the US. The only ones who compete are Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Metallica." The group have their eye on the Chinese market, and say they are also "keen on cracking Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia."
Read more about this Aussie supergroup: The Wiggly way (May 23, 2005 )

Eikaiwas Helping Support Metropolis
English schools are one of the few growth businesses in the Tokyo metropolitan area. There has been a decline in the number of businesses operating in the metropolis, falling to the same level it was at 30 years ago. A survey carried out last June showed a drop in the number of small and one-man businesses of 6.5% from 2001, continuing a declining pattern seen since the number peaked in 1986. manufacturers and small retailers saw a broad decrease in numbers and the only growth areas were medical & welfare facilities (up 5%) and education-related businesses, which were up by 1.2% to almost 16,000. The majority of the growth in this area is new English conversation schools. ()

Kagoshima Teacher Wins Top Art Prize
An American English conversation teacher is the first non-Japanese to win the top prize in the biggest art competition in Kagoshima Prefecture. Christopher Trotman was chosen as winner of the 52nd "Kenbiten Taisho" (Prefectural Art Exhibition Grand Prize) from among 1,349 works entered in the competition, of which 656 were put on display at the Kagoshima Prefectural Art Musuem on Wednesday. Trotman's oil painting, titled "Bright Lights and Hard Seats" and illustrating a scene on a train, was praised for its bold composition and color. The 24-year English teacher came to work in Kagoshima city after graduating from university two years ago, and often uses his illustration skills in the classroom. (May 20, 2005 )

Learn With Mother
"Oyako ryugaku" programs, a parent and child studying abroad together, are currently growing in popularity. There are several companies in Japan that make arrangements in countries such as the US and Canada for the parent - usually the mother - to study at a language school while their child attends a daycare center or primary school. In some cases, the children are as young as three months. Tokyo-based Last Resort Inc., which specializes in helping Japanese relocate abroad, sends about 300 parent-child pairs every year. Manager Yoshiko Nomura said, "Parents' enthusiasm for sending children abroad while they are still very young continues to mount. The demand is showing no signs of slowing down." Publisher Space Alc, also of Tokyo, started a similar program six years ago. Senior Manager Keiko Shimizu said that mothers are increasingly less likely to be swayed by their husbands' objections to taking their children abroad, putting the children's education first. Program costs vary greatly, but a typical one-month homestay comes to about ¥400,000, plus airfares. (from a Kyodo story)
BizTrend: Japanese 'mother-and-child' study-abroad programs popular ()

Young Science Prize Winners
This week, a trio of Nara high school students yesterday showed their classmates the presentation that won them a prize at the recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in the US. More than 1,400 students from over 40 countries competed for $3 million in scholarships and prizes at the event in Phoenix, Arizona. Kentaro Yoshifuji (17), Yuki Miura (16) and Tsuyoshi Hino (16), are all members of the Wireless Club at the Nara Prefecture Oji Technical High School. They won a third prize of $1,000 for their sudy of an electric wheelchair that can overcomes difficult road conditions. With all presentations being in English, the three attended a local conversation school for help in memorizing their speeches. Yoshifuji said, "When we were called as prize winners, I was so happy I wanted to scream!" Other Japanese winners included 17-year old Miho Ishikawa of Yachiyo Shoin High School, Chiba Prefecture, who won $5,000 and an Intel Foundation Achievement Award for a study on dandelions, and a group of 17-year old students from Awa High School, Tateyama in Chiba Prefecture who received an Honorable Mention Award from the American Chemical Society for a project on hydrogen fuel cells. ()

Kurobe Aims for English Zone Status
A Toyama Prefecture city is aiming to be the first in the region to acquire special zone status to introduce English to the elementary school curriculum, according to the Chunichi Shimbun. The city of Kurobe hopes to receive approval as one of the government's deregulatory zones by the next school year. The deregulatory plan started in 2003 and, as of April this year, 46 cities and municipalities nationwide have acquired the "structural reform special zone" status related to English teaching. Approaches vary from introducing simple English songs and games at the lowest grades to total English immersion programs.

Kurobe is home to the YKK manufacturing company, best known for its zippers. With plants worldwide, the company sends many employees overseas. As a result, Kurobe has many children who are considered "kikoku shijo" or returnees, who often have quite different language learning needs. This year, there are over thirty such students at both the elementary and middle school age. The city's education chief, Shouzo Honda says, "We want to have children with everyday English conversation ability by the time they finish junior high school." With the extra burden the plan would place on elementary school teachers, the city will employ native English speaking ALTs to assist them. To help offset the additional expense, it is hoped that locals with experience using English abroad or former English teachers will also volunteer. (May 19, 2005 )

JALTCALL 2005 Conference
The theme of the upcoming JALTCALL 2005 Conference is "Glocalization Through CALL: Bringing People Together." The conference will be held at Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture on June 3-5, 2005. The conference focuses on the social dimension of CALL at local and global levels, as represented by the term glocalization. Plenary speakers include Ushi Felix of Monash University, Australia, Hayo Reinders of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and Yukio Takefuta of Bunkyo Gakuin University, Japan. The conference will be a great place to learn more about language learning through technology, as well as many other facets of language learning. Please see the JALTCALL or Kyoto JALT web sites for more details.
JALTCALL web site
Kyoto JALT web site (May 18, 2005 )

OKWeb to Develop English FAQs
Internet company OKWeb Inc. recently announced that it is developing an English language version of its service that builds Q&A-style community web sites. The Japanese version of the company's Quick-A service was launched in 2000, and allows vistors to a web site to submit questions. Administrators can post answers to the questions, which in turn can be evaluated as to their usefulness. OKWeb hopes to more fully automate its service, using translation software to create English answers to Japanese questions, by June 2006. The firm will then market the service to foreign companies.
Quick-A web site ()

Zenken All to Go Public
English school operator Zenken All Corporation recently announced that it has received approval to hold an IPO. The company is to list on the Osaka-based Hercules market from next month, with the IPO underwritten by Mizuho Investors. Tokyo-based Zenken All is an educational services firm operating a chain of English language schools and marketing teaching materials for toddlers and junior high school students. It has annual revenues of over ¥6 billion. (May 17, 2005 )

New e-Learning System Aimed at Eikaiwas
Wiz Entertainment recently launched a new "online classroom" e-learning system aimed at eikaiwa schools and juku (cram schools). The system uses one-on-one and one-on-many interfaces for video and chat applications, which can be fully scheduled by the client. Functions include: students can view an instructor's video profile or footage of an actual lesson before deciding whether to take a class; questions can be asked before and after lessons; e-mail exchanges are possible without making e-mail address public. The system uses Flash technology and doesn't require students to install any custom software. The visual interface can be extensively customized by each school/client. A typical hosted plan would cost a school a ¥525,000 set-up fee plus ¥262,500 per month for a system that can handle up to 100 concurrent users. Wiz hope to have 50 schools or companies using the service by the summer.
Wiz Entertainment web site (Japanese)
Web learning system demo site (Japanese) ()

Online Eigozuke
Mobile entertainment content provider Dwango has teamed up with Plato, maker of the popular Eigozuke English language learning software, to launch a version for i-mode. The Eigozuke-i application, launched yesterday for ¥315 a month, gives users feedback on their score and mistakes made in online tests, all in a game-like enivironment. It is available on the NTT DoCoMo service and requires a FOMA-enabled phone. First released in September 2002, the No.1 selling Eigozuke software is aimed at those who consider themselves poor at English and teaches basic skills such as dictation and word order and grammar rules.
Eigozuke-i web site ()

Learning The World's Largest Lesson
On May 26, tens of thousands of people around the world will be learning a lesson - the World's Largest Lesson, held to raise awareness of the tragedy of landmines and encourage students and teachers to raise funds for Adopt-A-Minefield and other anti-landmine organizations. Since 2001, when English-To-Go.com founded and held the first World's Largest Lesson, hundreds of thousands of teachers and students in more than 120 countries have participated in the event.

The last World's Largest Lesson was held in 2003, with the support of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills McCartney who said, "As Patrons and Goodwill ambassadors of Adopt-A-Minefield, we are delighted to support the World's Largest Lesson 2003. Through the World's Largest Lesson thousands of students around the world will become aware of this most important issue and help raise funds to solve the problem."

"In 2005, we want to get even more schools, teachers and students involved in this worthwhile, charitable event. Through this programme we hope to raise awareness amongst millions of people around the world about these terrible weapons," said Christopher Hogg, English-To-Go.com CEO.

The 26 May 2005 lesson can be downloaded and printed from the World's Largest Lesson web pages.
World's Largest Lesson (May 16, 2005 )

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Event
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Tokyo branch will hold its next event on Saturday May 21. The event will be a Manuscript/Illustration Exchange: writers and illustrators should bring 5 copies of a children's or young-adult manuscript (up to 8 pages in English), illustrations or a picture book dummy to share for constructive feedback. The event is open to published and unpublished writers and illustrators. Also bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process. The event takes place from 3:00-5:00pm at the Orto Restaurant of the Hotel President Aoyama (fine coffees and teas available), a one-minute walk from Aoyama Itchome Station on the Ginza, Hanzomon and Oedo Lines. Participation fee ¥300 for SCBWI members; ¥500 for nonmembers. For a map, see:
Hotel President ()

Unions Killing the Eikaiwa Golden Goose?
The Japan Today web site today carries a "commentary" on two teachers' unions and their efforts to have the government investigate the eikaiwa industry for failing to enroll teachers in compulsory insurance and pension schemes. The article, by Angela Smyth, follows a recent feature in the Japan Times about the issue. Smyth criticizes the unions, saying they should have left the situation alone. She cites the benefits of taking out private health insurance rather than public, though she fails to mention that, in the case of major eikaiwa chain Nova, the insurance firm in question is also owned by same company. It is debatable whether the current investigation of Nova will indeed lead to an increased ¥1 billion in expenses for the firm and whether that would lead to job losses and/or pay cuts for teachers. But Smyth believes that the "militant" unions are out to "punish" the big schools, rather than looking out for the best interests of the teachers they represent, adding that they have "killed...the Golden Goose." Smyth's affiliations are not mentioned.Union crusade bad for foreign employees (May 13, 2005 )

Making English Work
In the latest Making English Work column in today's Daily Yomiuri, Hiromi Yaguchi, CEO of cosmetics importer MJI Co., talks about her motivations to learn English. Her first aim was to enter an airline and become a flight attendant. Though she worked for two different airline companies, she gave up her original dream and set up her own company, dealing with foreign artists and entertainers coming to work in Japan. She later set up a satellite TV channel specializing in classical music, while her latest business involves antiaging cosmetics. Her varied entrepreneurial ventures have helped her devlop her English in many unexpected directions.
Would-be stewardess flying high (link will expire) ()

New Service From JAC/STEP
Recruitment and placement company JAC Japan has teamed up with the Society of Testing English Proficiency (STEP, known in Japanese as Eiken) to launch a new service for those working for, or hoping to work for, foreign and international companies. Participants first take the computerized STEP BULATS test of business English, and then join a seminar aimed at improving their English communication and interview skills. The ¥4,900 fee covers the test (60-75 minutes) and the 90-minute seminar. JAC Japan is a local agent of the UK-based company JAC Recruitment, an employment consultancy for Japanese people in the UK and Europe. The STEP BULATS test was established in 2004 in conjunction with The University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
STEP BULATS (Japanese) ()

Hungry For News
Information search and filtering firm News Watch and online English-learning content provider Hungry for Words Japan recently anounced a new service tie up. The newsletter service, Hungry for News, was launched at the end of April and costs ¥315 per month. It provides filtered news stories in Japanese from a variety of domestic sources as well as Dow Jones News. Hungry for Words Japan's free e-mail service uses its proprietary eFlashcard to enable users to learn English words, with native speaker pronunciation, on themes such as business, travel and TOEIC. It has a current readership of over 290,000 subscribers.
Hungry for News ()

eigoTown Seminar by Translator Hiroaki Kobayashi
Come and listen to world-renowned Japanese translator Hiroaki Kobayashi, famous for translating the Hollywood movie "L.A. Confidential" and many other works from English to Japanese. Hear him talk about his countless experiences and of how he became a translator. This is a great opportunity to hear this fascinating man tell his story. The seminar will be held in Roppongi, Tokyo on Saturday, May 21st from 14:00 - 16:30. Entry fee is only 3,500 yen. For more details please visit the eigoTown site. (Please note: The seminar will be in Japanese.)
eigoTown Seminar (May 12, 2005 )

Gaba Offers Dow Jones Service
English conversation school chain Gaba announced this week that it has begun offering the Dow Jones Business English (DowBE) service to its clients. The service is accessible through the My Gaba section of the company's web site, and is seen as a supplementary means of study outside of Gaba's "man-to-man" "learning studios." The DowBe uses the latest world news articles from the Wall Street Journal and other sources and focuses on English reading and listening skills. Gaba CEO Chutatsu Aono said, "Our online service is a convenient tool to stengthen Gaba's "man-to-man" lessons. DowBE is the perfect partner to boost our client service." ()

English Teachers Organize Music Festival
English teachers Richard Lee (33) and Kuniko Yoshino (30) have organized a music festival to be held this weekend in the Oita Prefecture city of Nakatsu. "Concert on the Rock 2" will feature 17 groups of both Japanese and foreign musicians, and the music - from rock to reggae to jazz - will continue late into the night on both days. Entry for both days is only ¥1,500 and camping is allowed. Part of the proceeds will go towards relief efforts following the Sumatra Earthquake. Lee, an American, and Yoshino work at the Keio Academy eikaiwa school in the city. They started the festival last year and this year they have engaged the support of musician friends from all over western Japan. For more information, contact Keio Academy on 0979-24-7477. (May 11, 2005 )

Kobe College Focuses on Interpretation
Yesterday's Daily Yomiuri carried an article on the teaching of English interpretation skills at Kobe College. The three-year course has been offered to sophomores and above in all departments at the women's college since April, though it is an extension of a course run by the English department for the last three years. It has been chosen by the education ministry for its Support Program for Contemporary Educational Needs ("Gendai GP"), launched last September. The course has proved popular with students, and TOEIC scores had to be used to select those who could join.
Interpretation helps brush up English skills (link will expire) ()

Jukus to Cram Together
Major Kansai-based "juku" operator Win is to merge with Kanto rival Shuugakusha on October 1. The company will continue to operate under the Win name. Win (Winning Information Network), established in Osaka in 1973, runs private night-schools, or cram schools, that teach the major academic subjects from 1st to 12th grade. The company also runs an English conversation course called EZ Kids' Club, as well as TOEIC preparation. Its strong area is considered to be high school entrance exams. It has annual sales of almost ¥2.1 billion (as of 3rd quarter, 2004). Shuugakusha, which operates under the name Shidoukai and concentrates on junior high school entrance exams, has 16 schools in and around Tokyo. ()

Japanese Student Murdered in LA
A young Japanese woman studying English in Pasadena was stabbed to death on Saturday at her home in the Los Angeles suburb of San Gabriel. 22-year old Eimi Yamada was found dead by police responding to a prowler call in her neighborhood about 2am. They arrested her boyfriend, George Wood Pigman IV (23), whom they found naked with blood on his body and running around on a neighbor's roof, and are holding him on $1 million bail. Yamada, from Saitama Prefecture, was found with multiple stab wounds and signs that she had been beaten. She had been studying in Pasadena for about six months. According to neighbors, Pigman was often seen skateboarding in the area and the couple often argued. (May 10, 2005 )

VEN Wine Tasting Fundraiser
A wine tasting event to raise funds for the Volunteer Educational Network (VEN) will take place on Sunday, May 22nd at Shimokitazawa's Heaven's Door starting at 4:30. The delightful and ever-knowledgeable Mr. Paul Knighton will be the compere for the afternoon and his theme for the day will focus on wines which have aged gracefully. The entry price is ¥5,000 and includes fine wine, light food, and good company. Of course, all proceeds will go to support VEN. Please contact Damian Fitzpatrick for ticket information.

VEN is a group of educational professionals dedicated to improving education in isolated and underdeveloped regions of South-East Asia by promoting sustainable educational development. Members give their time, money, or ideas to provide professional development opportunities for local teachers.
VEN web site
Heaven's Door web site ()

Tightening the Purse Strings
An educational board in the city of Oshima, Hokkaido has cancelled a study abroad program that sent a group of junior high school students to Australia every year. Since 1991, the program has sent 14 selected 8th-grade students to Sydney and the neighboring city of Manley during the winter vacation. Students prepared for the trip each year with English conversation lessons from local ALTs. The board cited the cost of sending the students and accompanying teachers, which came to ¥8 million annually. It also said that the original goals - to establish ties and promote cultural exchange - had been accomplished. ()

Jam Camp Japan
A group of four Canadian musicians and English teachers recently organized a 3-day music/English study camp in Kamiyama on the island of Shikoku. The Tokushima Prefecture town has a strong artisan community and its surrounding scenic beauty made it the ideal choice for the camp. Local ALTs and English teachers volunteered as translators and otherwise helped run the event. Over the course of three days from May 3-5, facilitators and the 31 participants played games and sang songs in English. Jam Camp encourages youth to use their instruments to jam with other musicians and create new, original English songs.
Jam Camp web site (May 09, 2005 )

Hong Kong Losing International City Status to Rivals
An article on the web site of Chinese newspaper The Standard reported on a recent survey of English usage in east Asia. The survey, carried out via the Internet by Wall Street Institute, included more than 16,000 people in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The article focuses mainly on comparisons between Hong Kong, the mainland and Singapore, and bemoans how Hong Kong's English standards are being eclipsed by those of its rivals and affecting its position as an international city.
Survey into English use sows world city doubts ()

Yokosuka Aims for English-immersion School
The city of Yokosuka, home to a large U.S. naval base, plans to apply for permission from the education ministry to open a combined elementary and middle school that teaches all classes in English. Public schools which combine the two levels of compulsory education are not officially permitted, and the proposed school would be a private institution. But it would effectively be operated by the municipal government, whose Urban Policy Institute is in charge of the plan. The city will provide the facilities of a closed public school, and plans to open the new school in 2007. Yokosuka has already been designated by the central government as a special education zone allowed to hire foreigners as full-time teachers in its public schools and hopes to extend the scope of the zone to allow English immersion programs. Isao Uenodan, a researcher at the Urban Policy Institute, said "We want to create an international education environment at the schools by accepting foreign students." (May 06, 2005 )

Nation's First English-Immersion KK Elem. School Opens
The country's first elementary school to teach entirely in English and to be run as a kabushiki kaisha (stock-controlled corporation) opened recently, according to the Mainichi Shimbun web site. LCA International School opened in the Kanagawa Prefecture city of Sagamihara in April. All classes other than Japanese are taught in English - the school has five teachers from the US, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. Arithmetic classes use an English translation of an education ministry-approved textbook, while all other texts are imported from the US and Australia. School facilities don't yet meet the legal requirements for official government recognition, but graduates of the school will be able to enter middle school. Currently there are students in the first three grades, 32 in first grade - who are divided into three classes - 4 in second and just 3 in third.

Principal Norio Yamaguchi established LCA as a company in 1984, focusing on outdoor activities and studies. He set up the LCA kindergarten in 2000, and most of the students at the new school are graduates. Some students have very little English ability, so the use of Japanese is not prohibited during school hours. But students are strongly encouraged to use only English in the classroom.
Mainichi Shimbun article (Japanese) ()

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