Abstract
This paper explores the elementary Japanese language curriculum designed for science and engineering students at the Vietnam Japan University, focusing on instructors’ perspectives. A questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine instructors who taught in the 2024–2025 academic year. While the curriculum showed a certain degree of appropriateness in developing basic Japanese skills, several challenges were identified, including limited vocabulary and inadequate mastery of characters and a mismatch with learners’ disciplinary backgrounds. Based on these findings, the study highlights the need for a curriculum redesign responsive to the requirements of science and engineering students.
