Early this month, the Immigration Services Agency proposed a nationwide guideline concerning Japanese language and daily life orientation for foreign residents, suggesting that these items could become requirements for permanent residency.

For decades, Japan has left migrant language education to municipalities, volunteers, private schools — or migrants themselves. The government’s willingness to finally assume public responsibility is a welcome development. A state-funded system could mark a shift from treating foreign residents as temporary labor to recognizing them as members of Japanese society.

However, if this program becomes a prerequisite for permanent residency, its design will determine whether it supports integration or simply erects another barrier.

The main question is how Japanese language ability will be assessed. Japan must avoid turning the Japanese Language Proficiency Test into a de facto national filter.

The JLPT measures vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening. It does not assess speaking, writing or interaction. Yet these are the skills people rely on in workplaces, clinics, schools and local communities. Its heavy emphasis on literacy also creates unequal burdens for applicants from nonkanji backgrounds or those with limited formal education.

Japanese is used differently depending on occupation and setting. Care workers........

© The Japan Times