TEACHING OF JAPANESE

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30107, 16 April 1963, Page 13

TEACHING OF JAPANESE

Increase In N.Z. Urged

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 15. Full-time teaching of Japanese should be financed by interested concerns, the tutor in Japanese for adult education, Mr D. S. Johnson, of Wellington, said tonight.

He was commenting on a statement by Sir Leslie Munro, in Auckland on Sunday, that the permanent trade commission in Japan should comprise sufficient members who spoke Japanese. “It would be wise for our country to introduce here a crash programme in teaching Japanese,” Sir Leslie Munro said. Mr Johnson said New Zealanders doing business with the Japanese would be completely in their hands unless they knew the language.

Most adult education students of Japanese this year comprised business people, employees of Government departments and producer boards—many with overseas posts—and school teachers. In Australia, Japanese had been taught for some years at the universities in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra and some secondary schools, he said.

“Teaching should be stepped up in New Zealand,” he said. "Even some knowledge could contribute certain common terms of reference, for the Japanese have a totally different culture, religion, customs and concepts from us.

“If posted in Japan, students could also continue studying at the Tokyo Institute for Foreigners.”