Who is studying Japanese besides the kids in Japan?
Presently there are about 2.4 million people studying Japanese overseas - according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In Japan, there were about 135,000 students studying Japanese, says the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
So, what country sends the most students to learn Japanese?
6. Thailand - 3,200
5. Taiwan - 3,600
4. Brazil - 3,800...this is striking unless you know that Brazil has the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan of any country in the world.
3. USA - 5,500
2. South Korea - 15,800
And more than all the other countries in the world combined.....
1. China - 73,000
FWIW, it seems China is doing its part, or at least trying harder than the others to understand their Asian neighbor...despite their past.
What do you think?
Bill Belew on Business in Asia
