Japan Sends Language Education Partners to India for First Time

A milestone for Japanese language learning in India

Japan has sent five Nihongo Partners to India, marking the first assignment of the Japan Foundation program to a South Asian country. The group gathered in New Delhi for a six month program that places them in secondary schools across the Delhi area. Their job is straightforward and hands on, to support local Japanese language teachers, boost conversation practice, and bring living aspects of Japanese culture into classrooms. It is a small team, yet the start carries weight because it opens a sustained presence that both governments say will deepen mutual understanding and help students connect language with real people.

The dispatch comes as India and Japan step up exchanges across education, research, skills and industry. During the 2025 Annual Summit, the two Prime Ministers endorsed a wide human resource plan that sets a target of two way exchange of 500,000 people over five years, including 50,000 skilled personnel from India to Japan. Language sits at the center of that vision, since it links student interest to study opportunities, and it helps employers and local communities work with newcomers with less friction.

The Japan Foundation plans to repeat the India dispatch on a rolling basis for about a decade beginning this year. The new team in Delhi builds on a program that has sent thousands of partners to schools across East and Southeast Asia since 2014. Those partners work as classroom assistants and cultural ambassadors, not as lead instructors, which keeps the focus on practical communication and activities that motivate students.

Who are the Nihongo Partners

The program recruits Japanese citizens from many backgrounds, including university students, aspiring teachers and mid career professionals eager to share their skills. They receive basic training, then join local teachers in class to run conversation drills, support events and help students encounter everyday Japanese. The approach is deliberately simple. Show real language as people use it, and create space for curiosity to grow.

At the Delhi gathering, two of the new partners explained what they hope to do.

Hiroto Kishi, a 21 year old university student from Chiba Prefecture who aims to become a teacher, said he sees his role as building understanding.

‘I will do my best to become a bridge between Japan and India.’

Kotori Takagi, 23, from Fukuoka Prefecture, said a previous visit to India left a strong impression, from food to the energy of daily life, and that she wants to share an unfiltered view of her country.

‘I want to show Japan as it really is through cultural exchanges.’

Both comments echo the core idea of the program. Authentic contact grows interest, and interest keeps students motivated to keep learning a new script and sound system that can feel challenging at first.

Why now, and why Delhi

India is a natural next step for a program built around classroom support and cultural outreach. Interest in Japanese has been rising among Indian students. Many discover the language through anime, games and music, then look for structured courses. Others link Japanese to study in Japan or future jobs with Japanese companies. Government policy on both sides now aims to turn that interest into practical skills. The two countries agreed to expand language training in India, increase teacher training, and grow the number of test centers that certify basic and advanced ability.

Delhi offers a strong base for a first cohort. The metropolitan region has many secondary schools that can host pilot classes, access to universities and teacher networks, and proximity to institutions that can assist with materials and events. Starting in the capital also keeps travel and coordination simple for a small team that will be moving among several schools during a six month stay.

What will partners actually do in classrooms

Nihongo Partners are not sent to replace local teachers. They are classroom allies who make lessons more lively and give students a chance to use language in real situations. In Delhi, the five partners will rotate through secondary schools, coordinate with each school’s Japanese teacher, and plan activities that fit the curriculum. Because they are native speakers, they can model natural rhythm and intonation, but their value is just as strong outside formal lessons where culture brings language to life.

• Conversation support in small groups so students practice speaking and listening beyond the textbook
• Culture workshops such as calligraphy, origami, school festival projects, simple cooking demonstrations, and pop culture sessions that connect language with daily life
• After school clubs and events that keep motivated students engaged and create peer communities
• Assistance with contests, speech preparation and pronunciation practice ahead of certification tests
• Co creation of teaching materials with local teachers so activities can continue after the six month term
• Online exchanges with schools in Japan when schedules allow, building confidence for real conversations

Teachers often face large classes and limited contact time. An extra pair of hands who can lead a role play, stage a quiz, or coach a shy student can make a visible difference. The presence of partners also encourages schools to hold open events that invite families and other students to try Japanese activities, which helps new learners step forward.

Inside the Japan Foundation program

The Nihongo Partners initiative began in 2014 as a practical way to support schools that had growing interest but few trained teachers. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes it as a people centered program that sends Japanese citizens to join local classes and share culture while they learn from the host community. By March 2024, a total of 3,158 Japanese citizens had served as partners, mostly in Southeast Asia, China and Taiwan. There were no overseas dispatches during 2020 and 2021 because of COVID 19 travel limits.

The Japan Foundation’s Asia wide plan through the current decade shows how India fits into a larger arc. Data released in mid 2025 lists a total of 399 partners scheduled for fiscal years 2024 to 2033 across countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and others. The plan includes six slots for India, a number that can grow if schools and training capacity expand.

Program design puts equal respect at the center. Partners serve as assistants, not authorities. They learn local languages and customs, join community activities, and often return to Japan with new interests and skills that shape their careers. During the coronavirus period, partners and host schools kept ties through online events and virtual classes, which now complement in person activities when calendars are tight.

From classroom to career, language tests and work options

Language ability opens doors to study abroad, internships and jobs. Two assessment systems matter for many learners. The Japanese Language Proficiency Test, known as JLPT, measures reading and listening across five levels and is offered in dozens of countries. Applications abroad have topped one million a year, with test sites in more than two hundred cities. The Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese, known as JFT Basic, checks simple communication skills used in daily life. It supports Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker status of residence, which allows foreign workers with basic Japanese and sector skills to work in Japan.

India and Japan have agreed to grow both the learning pipeline and the certification system. Plans include expanding JLPT and JFT Basic test centers across India, subsidizing language courses, and training more Indian teachers through programs backed by the Japan Foundation. The action plan also encourages Indian educators to join the JET Programme as English language assistants in Japanese schools, which builds classroom experience for those who later teach Japanese at home.

• More training courses for Indian Japanese language teachers, including refreshed teacher training by the Japan Foundation
• Additional JLPT and JFT Basic centers and more frequent testing where demand is high
• Scholarships and exchange projects that bring Indian students and researchers to Japan
• Company outreach that connects Japanese employers with Indian universities and job fairs
• Support desks, information portals and coordination by both foreign ministries to keep exchanges smooth

Japan’s foreign ministry estimates that about 3.79 million people in 141 countries and regions study Japanese. A global network called the Sakura Network, which links core institutions and teacher associations, stood at 355 members as of early 2024. For those without local classes, the Japan Foundation runs a free online platform called Minato that offers beginner and intermediate courses. In parallel, the two governments have adopted a joint vision for the next decade that puts people to people exchange, vocational training and language education alongside cooperation in technology, health and infrastructure.

Lessons from other Asian classrooms

Experience in Southeast Asia offers useful guidance for India. In fiscal year 2021, the program still dispatched 123 partners to middle and high schools and universities in several countries despite travel constraints. Many activities moved online for a period, from conversation clubs to culture demonstrations. That experience showed that blended formats can keep momentum between school visits, and that local teachers gain confidence when they have a partner to plan with and a set of ready to use activities.

Several patterns repeat across successful schools. Short, frequent speaking tasks build confidence faster than long grammar lectures. Culture days that connect language to food, crafts and music draw in students who might not sign up for a standard class. Students respond well when they have a clear path from beginner lessons to a test level, a club, and contact with someone from Japan who remembers their name. These are low cost steps that maintain motivation in busy school schedules.

Challenges to watch and how progress can be measured

Scaling beyond a pilot is never automatic. India’s school system is vast, curricula differ across boards, and trained Japanese teachers are still few relative to potential demand. A small visiting team can spark interest, yet long term growth depends on building local teacher pipelines and consistent funding. Clear coordination between schools, state education departments and the Japan Foundation will matter as the program moves beyond Delhi.

Workload and welfare for visiting partners also require attention. Rotations across several schools are demanding in a busy city. Safe housing, reasonable travel times, and on site mentoring help partners maintain energy for classroom work. Transparent procedures for feedback from host teachers, students and partners can keep improvements moving throughout the six month term.

Measuring progress helps sustain support. Organizers can track how many schools start or expand Japanese classes, student retention into higher levels, numbers sitting for JLPT and JFT Basic, and participation in clubs and culture events. Employers can be invited to speak in schools and report on internship or hiring outcomes tied to language study. Over time, this creates a loop where student interest, school capacity and workplace demand reinforce each other.

Stories that show the human side

Cultural exchange rarely lives only in classrooms. Recent stories from India show a wide range of connections with Japan, from technology research to sports and the arts. In one example, a Japanese national, Nozomu Hagihara, attempted a record setting journey by dribbling a football across several Indian states, a personal project that emerged from years of living and working in the country. That kind of grass roots connection complements formal programs, signaling that people in both countries are eager to learn from one another.

When a partner visits a school fair, helps a student write a short speech, or introduces a simple recipe, the experience can stay with young learners for years. Language becomes less of a subject and more of a bridge to friendships, travel and future study. That is the quiet power the new team will try to ignite in Delhi classrooms this year.

Key Points

• Five Nihongo Partners have begun a six month assignment in secondary schools around New Delhi
• This is the first deployment of the program to a South Asian country
• The Japan Foundation plans to continue dispatches to India for about ten years
• The move aligns with an India Japan action plan that targets two way exchange of 500,000 people over five years
• Partners assist local teachers with conversation practice and culture activities, they are not lead instructors
• Plans include more Japanese language teacher training in India and more JLPT and JFT Basic test centers
• Japan’s foreign ministry counts about 3.79 million Japanese learners worldwide and a global network of 355 core institutions
• From 2014 to early 2024, 3,158 people have served as Nihongo Partners in Asia, with travel paused during COVID 19
• Mid 2025 data lists 399 planned dispatches across Asia for fiscal years 2024 to 2033, including slots for India
• Progress in India will be visible through the number of schools offering Japanese, student retention, and test participation