YBM Japanese Language Proficiency Test JPT Held in 25 Cities Worldwide... Test Takers from 70 Nationalities Participate

At the end of last year, news emerged that Japan, struggling with a continuous labor shortage, is considering a plan to eliminate the residency period for foreigners with specific skills. As a result, the attention of Asian job seekers is turning to Japan, and interest in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test JPT is also increasing.

[Image=JPT Test Takers Ratio by Nationality]

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According to YBM (Chairman Min Seonsik), a leading domestic education and evaluation group, JPT is administered in 25 cities across 7 Asian countries, steadily increasing its influence. In the past year, the nationalities of JPT test takers overseas numbered as many as 70, with the top countries being ▲Thailand (17.1%), ▲China (16.4%), ▲Vietnam (10.6%), ▲Taiwan (7.3%), and ▲Philippines (6.6%).

In particular, in Japan, where the number of test takers is the highest, the number of test locations has increased from just 2 at the beginning to 9 currently (Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi, Chiba, Kyoto, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Hyogo, Fukuoka). As the Japanese government actively attracts foreign workers to fill labor gaps, the demand for the test among those preparing to settle and work in Japan has naturally increased. In fact, 52.1% of overseas JPT test takers are in their 20s, the prime working age.

Many Japanese companies hiring foreigners require applicants to have Japanese language skills because a high level of Japanese proficiency is necessary to perform tasks after joining. In response to these corporate demands, foreign job seekers hoping to work in Japan take the JPT to verify their Japanese language skills, and the demand for JPT, recognized for its convenience and accuracy of evaluation, continues to grow steadily.

The advantage of JPT is that it is recognized by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan under the Ministry of Justice as a requirement for admission visa applications to Japanese language educational institutions. It is the only Japanese language proficiency test administered by a non-Japanese country to have this recognition. Currently, JPT is used for selecting international students and exchange students at institutions such as Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Kei Ai University, and Kyoto Seika University.

Additionally, JPT evaluates communication skills across various situations, from daily life to business. A Singaporean university student who took the JPT to work at a Japanese company said, “The great advantage of JPT is that it assesses communication skills needed in actual workplaces.”

A YBM official stated, “The increasing number of countries administering JPT is a result of recognition of the test’s credibility, reliability, and the professionalism of the administering organization,” adding, “We aspire to make the JPT a globally authoritative test like TOEFL and TOEIC.”

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