A Longitudinal Survey about Japanese Language Ability of Working at Companies in Japan

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13081
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 02090:Japanese language education-related
• Research Institution: Yokohama City University
• Principal Investigator: SUZUKI Ayano 横浜市立大学, グローバル都市協力研究センター, 准教授 (40812566)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ビジネス日本語 / 外国籍社員 / 外国人材 / 専門日本語教育

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, I surveyed foreign employees working for Japanese companies via questionnaires and interviews to determine the nature of their work; whether they require business Japanese proficiency; and if yes, the extent of their proficiency. The survey was administered to 18 foreign employees and their 22 supervisors and coworkers in an IT company and a logistics company. All surveys were conducted online.
The analysis revealed that the degree of business Japanese proficiency required depends on the nature of individuals’ job. Furthermore, supervisors and coworkers would like to delegate a wide range of tasks to foreign employees. However, the actual tasks delegated to them are limited due to reasons such as insufficient Japanese language proficiency to perform those tasks; as a result, foreign employees may not perceive the need to use Japanese to a substantial extent in their work.

Free Research Field

日本語教育

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、現在の日本社会において喫緊の課題である、日本企業における外国籍社員の就労支援に資するものである。日本企業で働いている外国籍社員を対象に、実際に働く中で日本語が求められる業務と、自身のビジネス日本語能力についての認識について、詳細に分析を行った。また外国籍社員と一緒に働く上司・同僚からもデータを収集し、外国籍社員とのギャップを明らかにした。調査対象は少ないものの、今後同様の分析を重ねていくことで、外国籍社員の就労支援に繋げられると考えられる。