Exploration of the National Strategies of Global Compound Foreign Language Talents in Japan —Centered on the Policy Guidance Documents in the Past 20 Years
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
of Japan has placed considerable emphasis on “globalization” as the primary
strategy for nurturing compound foreign language talents within Japanese
universities over the past decade. To realize the national strategic objective of global talent cultivation, two principal pathways have been pursued: the
international student-oriented pathway and the Japanese student-oriented
pathway. The latter can be subdivided into two distinct models of cultivation,
namely the “overseas-oriented” approach, enabling students to acquire overseas
learning experiences, and the “domestic-oriented” approach, which aims to
develop students’ foreign language proficiency within the country. Within the
context of contemporary China, the “domestic-oriented” policy holds particular
relevance and applicability. Specifically, by strengthening collaborations with
international universities, developing joint international courses, and facilitating
cross-cultural student cohorts, China can enhance the linguistic competencies,
multicultural understanding, and global perspectives of its diverse foreign
language talent pool without relying on outbound mobility. Furthermore,
valuable lessons can be learned from the closely intertwined partnerships
between Japanese corporations, government, and universities in fostering
foreign language talents. By aligning closely with market demands through
targeted foreign language instruction at universities, China can effectively and
efficiently cultivate the talent pool required by the market, thus bridging the
prevailing gap between the shortage of compound foreign language talents and
the employment challenges faced by foreign language graduates in the country.