Abstract
The authors examined the merits and potential issues in conducting online-conversation sessions between Chinese learners of Japanese who intend to study in Japan and undergraduate/graduate students in Japan. Analysis of the learners5 comments on the merits of the sessions revealed that the learners5 motivation to learn Japanese was raised through the experience of engaging in authentic communication in Japanese and the acquisition of conversational competence and social-cultural knowledge. The authors conclude that it is important to develop suitable conversational materials and carefully consider issues such as group formation and conversation partners5 adjustments in order to successfully conduct conversation sessions.
