International students who wish to join a university or language school are a major resource for Japan’s economy and aging population. Many of them have dreams of learning the language, becoming accustomed to the culture, and contributing long term to the Japanese society.
The English teacher in Japan subculture has gained a chronicler, as a murder mystery novel has been published set within their world.
Shane Corporation management, which earlier this year attempted to force its language teachers to repay the furlough allowance they had received during the coronavirus emergency shutdown in the spring, has followed up with yet more egregious action.
A government is beholden to its citizens. So why is the Japanese government killing those it is meant to protect?
According to organizers, over 130,000 marched in the annual pride parade in Taipei on Saturday. Lower turnout had been expected due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and in fact numbers were down from the record 200,000 participants in the October 2019 event.
For a time, Chi Chia-wei says many people thought he was the only gay person in Taiwan. He was the first Taiwanese to come out publicly on television, and for many the only gay person they could see.
Nagashi is a Japanese musical tradition that lives on in Taiwan
Countless workers are struggling to make ends meet as the Covid-19 coronavirus leads to non-renewals, dispatch agency firings, and even non-payment of the furlough allowance. This includes English conversation schools, many of whose foreign instructors face economic hardship after losing their jobs.
Debates about the proper use of pronouns in the English language are nothing new, and in the contemporary era there is a revived appreciation of their role in creating gender inclusivity.
In this space the SNA will provide links to various English-language online resources that have emerged tracking the Covid-19 crisis in Japan.
