Bahasa Jepang, Syarat Mati

Sebuah usulan kebijakan yang direncanakan diputuskan akhir tahun ini adalah syarat minimal tertentu penguasaan bahasa Jepang bagi orang yang ingin masuk Jepang (tentunya visa non-turis). Ini akan menambah “ribet” orang asing masuk ke Jepang setelah diberlakukannya deteksi sidik jari mulai Nopember tahun lalu. Sebuah rencana yang bisa jadi menjadi sebuah kendala tersendiri bagi orang asing untuk pikir2 masuk Jepang untuk bekerja atau belajar. Atau malah sebaliknya, melihat kondisi universitas dan lapangan pekerjaan di masa depan yang bakalan tak bisa tercukupi hanya dengan orang Jepang, justru memicu ekstensitas pembelajaran bahasa Jepang (moshi-moshi, bisnis bahasa Jepang? :-)). Dari sudut pandang Kementrian Kehakiman, jelas hal ini terlihat banyak menguntungkan Jepang dari segi keamanan, meskipun mungkin akan banyak ”penyayangan” dari mitra mereka di luar negeri.

Setidaknya rencana penerapan kebijakan ini bagi masyarakat Jepang sendiri, akan punya 2 mata pedang. Di satu mata, masyarakat Jepang makin dimanja dengan adanya proteksi “tahu beres” bahwa orang asing yang mereka temui akan bisa diajak berkomunikasi dengan bahasa mereka. Jadinya, memang, kesempatan kouryuu atau tukar-menukar budaya akan tak banyak masalah lagi, namun jadi hambar. Ibarat murid, orang Jepang tidak dikondisikan untuk aktif ikut proses belajar. Permasalahan ini disusul dengan satu mata pedang yang lain, pembunuhan pelan2 hasrat untuk membuka diri pada dunia dan makin inferior dengan orang asing. Meskipun kebudayaan Jepang mungkin saja makin terjaga dengan upaya ini.

Tapi apa boleh buat, shouganai, mereka yang punya negara ini, mereka pula yang berhak mengatur bagaimana roda perjalanan negaranya akan digulirkan. Asal tak ketat2 amat, siapa tau juga makin membuat orang asing banyak bisa belajar dari Jepang lebih utuh, tidak setengah2. Sayang memang jika tinggal di Jepang tapi malah menutup diri hanya karena keterbatasan berkomunikasi. Banyak pula bukti bahwa dengan mengajak mereka berbahasa Jepang dengan baik terlebih dahulu, persepsi mereka menjadi berubah dan urusan memperkenalkan identitas maupun ideologi sendiri juga berjalan baik. Mungkin juga, upaya ini akan menjadikan martabat orang asing di Jepang meningkat, tak perlu terus2an diwaspadai atau dicurigai, karena kapasitas mereka untuk memahami lingkungan melalui bahasa/komunikasi bisa lebih baik. Memang, di mana bumi dipijak, di situ langit seharusnya dijunjung.

#####

Language Skill Eyed in Visa Process

Asahi Shimbun, 01/16/2008

By Taro Karasaki, Staff Writer

The government will consider making Japanese language ability a condition for entry and visa renewals for those planning to live in Japan for extended periods, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Tuesday. The proposed criteria would be used in entry decisions, as well as visa applications and extensions, government officials said. Senior officials from the foreign and justice ministries will likely begin discussing the matter later this month, with an eye on making a final decision by the end of the year, the officials said.

While the new condition might mean a new hurdle for foreigners, the intention of introducing the measure is “not to shut out foreigners without a good command of Japanese,” a government official said. The official also said that “language abilities would be taken into consideration along with other conditions.” The somewhat vague proposal comes amid growing calls, mainly from business circles, for Japan to open its labor market to foreign workers.

At the same time, government officials have pointed to various labor- and education-related problems that non-Japanese residents face, many stemming from a lack of Japanese language ability. “For foreign residents, a good command of Japanese is important for raising their own standards of living, as well as a necessity from the perspective of Japanese society,” Komura told a regular news conference, adding that he hoped to see “increased interest in studying Japanese among foreign residents, both in Japan and in their country of origin.”

The upcoming discussions will be held between heads of the Foreign Ministry’s Foreign Nationals’ Affairs Division and the Justice Ministry’s Entry and Status Division. Currently, Japan requires foreign students hoping to attend universities or colleges here to attain a certain level of Japanese proficiency in order to acquire student visas. However, no such requirement exists in other fields, such as working visas, which basically require that applicants have the necessary educational qualifications to perform the work required of them and to have sufficient professional experience in their country of origin. Officials said details, such as how to assess Japanese ability, have yet to be discussed.

The move follows a December 2006 recommendation by a liaison committee at the Cabinet Secretariat formed by 11 ministries involved in issues relating to non-Japanese, which said that assessment of language skills in issuing and renewing visas should be considered. It also suggested that Japanese language education programs for foreign nationals be enhanced.

The committee discussed a wide range of issues, such as the large number of non-Japanese children who do not attend school and the inability of non-Japanese to utilize various administrative services. A Foreign Ministry official suggested that the move to measure Japanese ability “could serve as an incentive to study Japanese” and help alleviate such problems.

Coupled with the possible relaxing of other requirements, the language requirement “could open the door for people hoping to study Japanese in this country.” However, according to a Justice Ministry official, “There is both the view that this could become a barrier for entry and the view that this could serve as a preferential treatment. We need to thoroughly discuss the matter.”(IHT/Asahi: January 16,2008)