Foreign residents who need Japan's main Japanese-language proficiency test to keep or change their visa are finding they cannot even sign up, as rising demand linked to tighter residency rules overwhelms the exam's organizers, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is co-hosted by the Japan Foundation, an independent administrative body under the Foreign Ministry, and the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, formerly the Japan International Education Association. It runs in July and December each year, with five levels from the hardest, N1, down to N5.
Applications for this December's test were open for 15 days from August 24. The N3 to N5 levels closed on the fourth day, and N1 and N2 on the eighth, leaving a stream of people unable to register.
Extra venues were arranged for N3 in Tokyo and Osaka. Both reached their capacity and closed within 80 minutes of reopening.
A hotel career that hinges on N2
A 23-year-old Vietnamese woman studying tourism at a vocational school in Osaka Prefecture could not sit N2. Hotels, where she hopes to work, often ask for N2. Since April the government has also required "N2 or equivalent" for the technical, humanities and international services (gijinkoku) residency status used for customer-facing work.
N2 is the level at which a candidate is judged able to read newspaper articles and follow the news. The woman studied two hours a day between classes and her part-time job.
“I was confident. I absolutely wanted to take it this time.”she said, Vietnamese student in Osaka
If she cannot switch her status from student to a work visa once she has a job offer, she cannot stay in Japan.
“Worry spins around in my head every day.”she said
Lalakhin, a 25-year-old Myanmar student at the same school, could not take N1. The company she joins next spring pays about 10,000 yen more a month to N1 holders than to N2 holders.
“If I can't take it this time, the next chance is after I start work. Studying while working looks hard.”she said
Tighter residency rules drive demand
The government's tightening of residency requirements is itself pushing people to sit the test.
“N1 may be required in the future. Many foreigners probably want to get it early so they can keep living in Japan.”she said
A public high school in the Kanto region uses N2 as its internal standard for a designated university recommendation for students whose first language is not Japanese. Several students could not apply for the December test, the last chance for second-year students, and are expected to miss out on the recommendation.
The teacher in charge is pressing the school to accept qualifications other than the JLPT.
“The students can't speak up for themselves. They have no choice but to swallow their tears.”the teacher said
Writing in the Asahi Shimbun, Nobutomi Yoshimi, a professor at Nihon University, said the difficulties of guarding against cheating help explain why venues cannot simply be added, since invigilators are hard to secure. The newspaper reported that question leaks from venues in China and social media cheating businesses are among the problems.