What a Caree-focused Japanese Language Course Brought to Learners:

From Interviews with an International Student Engaged in Job Hunting in Japan

Abstract

This paper outlines a career-focused Japanese oral communication course for advanced-level learners. In this course, students engaged in discussions about current topics, completed career and social tasks, and conducted an interview project on their ideal career. They also gave two oral presentations to understand their own specialties and aptitudes and to discover their challenges. End-of-course questionnaires, reports, and interviews revealed that learners improved their speaking skills, deepened their self-understanding, and strengthened their motivation for their careers. One participant successfully applied course experiences to her job hunting in Japan, demonstrating that the course goes beyond business Japanese and contributes to meaningful career development support in Japanese language education.