Programs
The International Student Center offers the following educational programs to international and Japanese students.
Preliminary Japanese Language Training
This is a six-month intensive Japanese language course targeted for international students who are sponsored by the Japanese government and who will matriculate at graduate schools of Yokohama National University or other universities in Kanagawa Prefecture or nearby. The course is also offered to in-service teachers (teacher training students) from regions such as China, Korea, Southeast Asia, and South and Central America who will study for eighteen months in the Graduate School of Education. Students are divided into groups to receive appropriate levels of Japanese language training based on their Japanese skills upon arriving in Japan. Although in recent years an increasing number of courses have been offered in English to enable students to use the English language to earn credits, even those who study in such courses must have a certain level of Japanese skills because they must develop their personal networks in Japan, both inside and outside the university, to carry out their studies smoothly. In this regard, this intensive Japanese language course is extremely beneficial to all international students.
Japanese Language and Culture Program
This one-year training program is implemented as part of the system for international students sponsored by the Japanese government; the aim is to assist students who specialize in the Japanese language or culture in their home countries to deepen their studies of Japan while improving their Japanese language skills and understanding of Japanese culture at Japanese universities. At YNU, students on this program take Japanese Studies classes alongside other international students and Japanese students while increasing their Japanese language proficiency as well as writing papers on their own study themes in small-group seminars. They also deepen their knowledge and broaden their horizons to conduct studies on Japan by taking courses such as "Multilingual Communication" and participating in hands-on programs and experience-oriented tours provided by YNU.
Junior Year Overseas at Yokohama National University (JOY) Program
In this program, exchange students from international partner universities attend Japanese language classes and specialized courses in English. Students can take courses from an English language curriculum that covers a wide range of academic fields. Japanese language classes of different levels, from introductory to advanced, are available. This program offers opportunities to join in activities with Japanese students and local people both inside and outside the classroom.
The YNU-Sejong University Exchange Program:
Inter-Faculty Supplementary Japanese Language Courses
This one-year program is conducted under an exchange agreement between Sejong University in Seoul, Korea and Yokohama National University. Each year, around 20 Japanese Language and Literature Major students from Sejong University come to Japan in April and stay until February to experience Japan first-hand. Each student takes many different classes based on his or her Japanese language proficiency. This program aims not only to help them to improve their Japanese language skills, but also to develop promising human resources who have a good understanding of Japan through exchanges with YNU students and volunteers.
YNU Japanese Language and Culture Program
This half-year/one-year program is based on academic exchange agreements with partner universities. Students take Japanese language classes and lectures provided through the International Strategy Organization and may transfer the credits earned back to their home universities. The program aims to instill in students a sense of international role and responsibility and foster mutual understanding. As of April 2023, 10 students from Tamkang University are participating in this program. Besides courses targeted chiefly at Chinese-speaking students, such as " Introduction to Taiwan," and "Introduction to Translation between Chinese and Japanese," lectures offered by College of Urban Sciences are also available. In addition to exchanges with Japanese tutors, students can also meet Japanese students and other international students from different parts of the world at lectures and foster personal relationships with them. Personal counseling in Chinese is also offered.