Manga gateway to Japanese culture for Taiwan youths

As reported in 'The Japan News' : The Yomiuri Shimbun, An anime-related goods store in Taipei on Nov. 17

By Yuko Mukai / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent, TAIPEI — In Taiwan, where pro-Japan sentiment is strong and many people have studied the Japanese language, movements are under way to deepen cultural understanding of Japan among younger generations by using manga as an educational tool. Although, Japanese pop culture goods, such as manga and anime, are extremely popular, some educators in Taiwan are worried that younger Taiwanese only have a shallow knowledge of Japan. Most avidly pro-Japan Taiwanese, often described as “Japan lovers,” are 80 years old or older. “Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso is also fascinating.” This was part of the introduction to a seminar titled “Understanding Japan through Manga” that is popular at National Chengchi University. In the class, students learn about Japanese corporate culture using “Bucho Shima Kosaku” (Manager Kosaku Shima) and about Osaka’s culture and dubious, behind-the-scenes financing via “Naniwa Kinyudo” (The Way of Osaka Financing). Prof. Cai Zeng-jia, an expert on Japanese politics who teaches the seminar, took the unusual approach after becoming alarmed by the lack of knowledge about Japan among young Taiwanese. When Cai showed a portrait of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to dozens of students, only one of them could correctly identify him. Some students guessed it was former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. About 230,000 people in Taiwan have studied the Japanese language, the fifth highest figure in the world, according to the Japan Foundation’s research in fiscal 2012. As the population totals about 23 million, a simple calculation reveals that one out of 100 Taiwanese has studied Japanese. But even in places where Japanese is taught, anxieties remain strong. Sumie Kamijo, a Japanese language instructor at National Chiao Tung University in northern Taiwan, began holding debate contests in Japanese for university students. The events organized by Kamijo and her peers have been spreading in the local community. “Through such debates, I hope to foster human resources who can actively take part in commerce between Japan and Taiwan using the Japanese language,” Kamijo said. Taiwanese are generally very sympathetic to Japan, with about half of them saying Japan is their favorite country. Until now, Japan-Taiwan relations have been spearheaded by those who have been educated in Japanese when Taiwan was ruled by Japan and are fluent in the language. One representative figure is former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, 91. Young people born since 1990s, when Japanese pop culture began to flood the Taiwan market, have had many opportunities to learn about Japan. But experts in Taiwan say their understanding of various aspects of Japanese culture and society is superficial. Cai warned, “Unless we foster whole generations of young people who understand the Japanese language, Taiwan-Japan relations in the future will be shaky