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Japan considering language tests for foreign workers

Japanese authorities are considering ordering language tests for foreigners who want to live and work in the country, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said yesterday.

The measure would help improve social integration, officials believe, at a time when more and more companies are seeking to bring in cheap labor.

"Knowing Japanese is necessary to increase the quality of life of foreigners living in Japan," Komura told reporters. "It would be good if there were more opportunities for them to study Japanese in their countries of origin."

Komura said the requirement would prevent situations in which foreign workers and trainees in Japan were unable to receive government help because of the language barrier.

The justice ministry, which handles immigration, and the foreign ministry are expected to begin talks this month on what level of Japanese proficiency is required and how to test it, Komura said without giving further details.

Japan sees itself as largely homogeneous and has rejected large-scale immigration, even though the population is declining as the Japanese have fewer children.

But a growing number of firms seeking cheap labor have used a loophole to bring in "trainees," mostly from developing nations in Asia. A record 93,000 foreign trainees entered Japan in 2006.

A government survey last year found only 10 percent of Japanese who live in areas with many foreigners want to engage with them more, while 56 percent of foreigners wanted more interaction.

Japan is among a growing number of developed nations which are now focusing on the language of foreign residents.

Australia last year introduced a test that looks at immigrants' proficiency in English and knowledge of local culture, while France said it would require immigrants who do not speak French to take free classes after they enter.
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