U of A to Host More Than 260 Examinees for Japanese Language Proficiency Test in December

The Japanese Program in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures will host more than 260 examinees to administer the annual Japanese Language Proficiency Test in December.

Offered annually since 1984, the JLPT is the only international certification examination authorized by the Japanese government, and it is currently administered in more than 80 countries and regions worldwide. Examinees take the JLPT at five different levels, with N1 the highest (near native-speaker proficiency) and N5 the lowest. Besides recognizing the examinees’ proficiency levels by common sets of standards worldwide, JLPT certificates offer unique advantages ranging from gaining admission to graduate schools in Japan to earning bonus points in work visa application to Japan.

The U of A was designated in 2008 as the ninth U.S. host institution of the JLPT, and 17 U.S. institutions including the U of A will host the JLPT this year. The JLPT takes place on the first Sunday of December annually, and the 2022 JLPT at the U of A is scheduled on Dec. 4 in the J.B. Hunt Building.

“We are proud that the University of Arkansas, and in particular our Japanese program, hosts such a prestigious exam at our university each year. The number of examinees alone speaks to the value of this test for individuals studying Japanese across our country,” said Linda Jones, chair of the Department of World Languages, Literatures & Cultures.

Other JLPT host institutions in the U.S. include Georgetown University, University of Washington, DePaul University and University of Michigan.

Tatsuya Fukushima, associate professor of Japanese and section head of the U of A Japanese program, noted the continued increase in enrollment for the exam: “When more than 160 examinees registered for the JLPT last year, I thought that increase was just a result of cancellations by more than half of the U.S. host institutions due to COVID-19. I am really stunned by the incredible growth of JLPT examinees this year.”

Mafumi Omura, instructor of Japanese, reflected on the increase in registration: “I’m positively surprised to hear the increase in the number. It is great news to have more people interested in Japanese language and culture.”

Motoko Miura, who has joined the Japanese program this fall as a new instructor of Japanese, also expressed her thoughts on the number of registrants: “Impressed is even not enough to describe my feelings, but I feel so fortunate to be here to see the growth of JLPT examinees. I wish all of them good luck for the exam in December. I also appreciate Dr. Fukushima and Professor Omura’s incredible effort to make this happen.”

For more information on the JPLT and Japanese Program, please contact Tatsuya Fukushima.

This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.