In light of increasing competition in domestic and global markets, it is imperative for Japanese corporations to utilize highly-skilled foreign-born nationals,including those who have graduated from Japanese institutions of higher education,more frequently as part of their labor forces, not only to mitigate the effect of a decrease in supply of Japanese nationals in the labor market, but also to achieve more workforce diversity. This article first reviews the extant research on the working environments of highly-skilled foreign-born nationals in Japan. It then compares and analyzes the results of questionnaire surveys reported in a number of previous studies. The article argues that Japanese employers generally expect highly-skilled foreign-born workers to already possess high-level Japanese communication skills prior to hiring them, and that employers usually expect foreign workers to further improve these communication skills without providing any adequate corporate support in order for them to succeed in this task. Finally, the article recommends that since previous studies tend to focus on large-sized corporations, further studies of small-and medium-sized companies are needed, given the fact that statistics show that many Japan-educated foreign graduates tend to work for these smaller companies.

As economic competition expands its scale to a global level, Japan has made an effort in cultivating Global Human Resources (GHR) to enhance its competence in the global market. The discourse of GHR emphasizes communicative English ability,generic skills, and a certain Japanese identity, which is shared in the enterprise and education fields. In addition, the practice of GHR focuses on increasing the opportunity of cross-cultural communication. However, a case study of a Nigerian linguistic minority shows the discourse and practice of GHR does not always realize what it promises. The reason for this failure can be observed in the conflict between a modernist idea, where language and nation are regarded as fixed, and the postmodern reality, where language and nation are dynamic. This study thus calls for a reflection on both the discourse and practice of GHR.

Until now, discussions regarding universities with full-time English-taught programs (ETPs) have revolved around either domestic Japanese students or international students. Furthermore, improving the English skills of domestic Japanese students has been proposed as the main way of training human resources capable of achieving international success. However, an analysis of results from a readiness study and initial Japanese placement tests taken upon entry conducted among students in X University’s English-taught program revealed that there were students who have been educated in languages other than Japanese for extended periods of time while living abroad, despite Japanese being their native/heritage language or possessing Japanese citizenship. The results also showed that, after graduation, many students aspired to use Japan as a base to achieve international success. Thus, in discussing how to train students in English-taught programs to reach the capability of working internationally, it is necessary to (1) keep in mind that recognizing the diversity of students is more vital than maintaining the binary distinction of “domestic Japanese student” or “foreign international student”, and (2) consider differing qualities and available methods based on the fact that students carry diverse backgrounds.

Globalisation has led to an ever-growing demand for global human resource with comprehensive skills. Many universities offer faculty-lead short-term study abroad programs; however, not many researches were carried out to reveal how those programs affect participants’ academic skills and basic skills for working in a society were affected. The author examines how short-term study abroad programs affect students who belong to the information science and engineering fields. Questionnaire surveys were used to assess how participants’ skills were affected. The results show that short-term study programs provide positive effects on both skills.Keywords: Information Science and Engineering Students, Short-term study abroad programs, Global human resources, Academic skills, Basic skills for working in a society

This paper investigated what type of Japanese language education curriculum should be developed for international human resources undertaking work at care houses. As a result of the study, it is evident that, in addition to general Japanese language education, professional vocabulary and expressions frequently used in conversation should be taught in scene syllabuses.

This paper describes the planning scheme, features, and impacts of the new English immersion facility Tokyo Global Gateway (TGG), opened in September 2018. TGG is a project led by the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education and conducted via a public-private partnership. The facility’s scale is 7,000 ㎡ with environments and equipment that simulate practical English-speaking situations. On average, 70–100 English-speaking staff members from approximately 30 countries work there daily. Students from elementary to senior high school experience various practical programs, gain confidence, and enhance their motivation for further learning of the English language. The facility’s impact during its initial period was great, and it has potential

to be a national hub of English education. The authors have reported the details as administrative members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education.