IT is rare that one attends a major reggae event and does not meet up on Japanese nationals soaking up the Jamaican culture.

This cross cultural exchange has been at the heart of the relations between both countries, and has in recent years resulted in an increase in the demand for the learning of Japanese by Jamaicans, Japan being a huge market for reggae and dancehall music.

However, culture has in recent years taken over from business and commerce as the main point of contact between Jamaica and Japan.

Whether it is for cultural or business purposes, learning Japanese is definitely advantageous as Kaori Saito, the cultural officer at the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica, explains.

“Business relations, including importing of cars and exporting coffee, has definitely been getting stronger over the years, and this presents greater opportunities for persons in Jamaica to learn Japanese. Add to that the popularity of the JET [Japan Exchange & Teaching] programme,” she says.

Saito explains that the JET programme, which offers Jamaicans the opportunity to work as English teaching assistants in Japan for up to five years, has grown over the years. She says although knowledge of the Japanese language is not a requirement, it certainly gives an applicant a competitive edge.

“Last year we had 471 applications for the 19 positions in Japan. Of the 19 selected, nine of them had Japanese skills. Although it does not guarantee you a spot, it does give you an advantage,” she notes.

Jamaicans, particularly children and young adults, are also becoming increasingly drawn to this Asian language due to the popularity of Japanese animation.

She adds that Jamaicans have an almost natural affinity to learning Japanese as there are similarities with the local patois, as it relates to pronunciation and sentence structure.

Presently, the University of the West Indies, Mona, offers Japanese to the largest number of Jamaican students. There are currently 160 students learning the language at that institution and the Japanese government recently donated state-of-the-art equipment to the language laboratory at UWI to cater to the growing and expanding needs of the students and staff of the modern languages department. The language is taught by two native speakers.

The University of Technology also offers Japanese and currently has a cohort of 40 students. The Language Training Centre and The Language Cradle (International Business & Language Consulting), both located in the Corporate Area, offer Japanese to students.

The Embassy of Japan offers postgraduate scholarships to study in Japan, and here again knowledge of the language is key as courses are taught in Japanese. The successful applicant is required to do a six-month course in Japanese before commencing their graduate work.