The Challenges of Welcoming Foreign Workers and the Role of Japanese Language Classes

From the Perspective of Sustainable Regional Development

Abstract

With Japanʼs regional communities experiencing a continuing decline in population, sustainable regional development has become a pressing issue. A key element of this overall challenge is the problem of who will help support such development. Hiring foreign workers to assist in the running of regional economies is one approach that has been widely adopted. Looking further into the future, it is hoped that foreign workers will also go on to play a broader supportive role within their communities. This paper considers the efforts of one co-author, Mr. Kosuge, who has sought to help foreign workers contribute to sustainable regional development in ways beyond the mere use of their labour power. We have found three challenges that need to be addressed for foreign workers to be successfully welcomed into a regional community. First, fostering trust within the regional community towards foreign workers; second, supporting the career development of foreign workers; and third, strengthening the ties between foreign workers and regional communities. We suggest that Japanese language classes in regional areas can be reconsidered in light of the above challenges. In our view, such classes possess five functions that can assist in addressing these three challenges. They therefore have a vital role to play in assisting with the sustainable development of regional areas.