1st Northern California Japanese Language Conference
2025/8/22
Group Photo
Consul General Osumi gives remarks
On Thursday, August 14, the 1st Northern California Japanese Language Conference, co-hosted by the Northern California Japanese Teachers’ Association (NCJTA), the California Association of Japanese Language Teachers (CAJLT), and the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, was held at the official residence of Consul General Yo Osumi.
The first installment of the Northern California Japanese Language Conference began with opening remarks by Consul General Yo Osumi, the NCJTA President Masahiko Minami and the CAJLT Vice President Chie Fujie. Afterwards, keynote speakers Ann Jordan, Advocacy Chair of the California Language Teachers Association, and Ryo Takehara, Deputy Director of the Japan Foundation Los Angeles, introduced the current situation of foreign language education and Japanese language education at the national level. Next, the focus shifted to the current situation of Japanese language programs in Northern California with presentations given by educators representing four major regions: Sacramento, San Francisco and East Bay, San Jose, and Monterey and Central Valley.
The conference participants then broke out into two discussion groups to discuss how to engage more students to learn Japanese at the University and K-12 levels to respond to the challenge of declining student enrollment. Finally, everyone reconvened for a panel discussion to discuss possible ways to nurture more Japanese Language Teachers in order to counteract teacher shortages.
To finish, conference participants reviewed the Summary Statement that gave an overview of what was discussed during the inaugural Northern California Japanese Language Conference. The Summary Statement for the 1st Northern California Japanese Language Conference can be found here. With these points in mind, conference participants will continue to support Japanese Language Education and will convene again next year for the second conference.
This conference fosters collaboration across schools, communities, and organizations, ensuring the growth and sustainability of Japanese language education in Northern California. Thank you to the educators, community members, and stakeholders that joined us to collaborate, share, and strengthen the future of Japanese language education.
The first installment of the Northern California Japanese Language Conference began with opening remarks by Consul General Yo Osumi, the NCJTA President Masahiko Minami and the CAJLT Vice President Chie Fujie. Afterwards, keynote speakers Ann Jordan, Advocacy Chair of the California Language Teachers Association, and Ryo Takehara, Deputy Director of the Japan Foundation Los Angeles, introduced the current situation of foreign language education and Japanese language education at the national level. Next, the focus shifted to the current situation of Japanese language programs in Northern California with presentations given by educators representing four major regions: Sacramento, San Francisco and East Bay, San Jose, and Monterey and Central Valley.
The conference participants then broke out into two discussion groups to discuss how to engage more students to learn Japanese at the University and K-12 levels to respond to the challenge of declining student enrollment. Finally, everyone reconvened for a panel discussion to discuss possible ways to nurture more Japanese Language Teachers in order to counteract teacher shortages.
To finish, conference participants reviewed the Summary Statement that gave an overview of what was discussed during the inaugural Northern California Japanese Language Conference. The Summary Statement for the 1st Northern California Japanese Language Conference can be found here. With these points in mind, conference participants will continue to support Japanese Language Education and will convene again next year for the second conference.
This conference fosters collaboration across schools, communities, and organizations, ensuring the growth and sustainability of Japanese language education in Northern California. Thank you to the educators, community members, and stakeholders that joined us to collaborate, share, and strengthen the future of Japanese language education.
Discussion about Japanese language education at the University level
Discussion about Japanese language education at the K-12 level
