Kyushu University Academic Staff Educational and Research Activities Database
Search by Keyword How ro search
Keyword
Search Criteria
 
Detailed Search

Researcher information (To researchers) Need Help? How to update
Rika Kusunoki Last modified date：2023.09.20

Associate Professor / The International Student Center




E-Mail　*Since the e-mail address is not displayed in Internet Explorer, please use another web browser:Google Chrome, safari.
Homepage
https://kyushu-u.elsevierpure.com/en/persons/rika-kusunoki
　Reseacher Profiling Tool　Kyushu University Pure
Phone
092-802-6548
Fax
092-802-6548
Academic Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics, Master of Arts in Applied LInguistics, Bachelor of Arts in Applied Linguistics
Country of degree conferring institution (Overseas)
Yes　Bachelor　Master　Doctor
Field of Specialization
Language Policy and Planning, Teaching Japanese as a Second/Foreign language
Outline Activities
Rika completed a PhD in Applied Linguistics at School of Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences in the University of Queensland, Australia, in June 2018. She was appointed to the Japanese Language Education Section at the International Student Centre, Kyushu University in April 2022. Rika has been teaching Japanese language classes in the Japanese Academic Courses (JACs), and specialised courses in the Japanese Language and Culture Course both for international students at Kyushu University. In 2022 and 2023, she was/will be the Japanese language course coordinator for the Summer in Japan (SIJ) programme held by the International Student Centre. Her research focuses mainly on Japanese language education policy within the context of Japan's immigration policy at the micro level.
Research
Research Interests
  • Japanese language education policy in Japan's immigration policy, Japanese language education as a second/foreign language, Japanese language education in a multicultural society, Transformation of Japanese language learners
    keyword : Language education policy, Immigration policy, Japanese language education policy, Japanese language education, Japanese learners, multicultural society
    2018.02～2023.06.
Academic Activities
Papers
 Show All Papers >>
1. Kusunoki, R. & Hashimoto, K., Is “Easy Japanese” a language option? – Local response to the increasing foreign resident population from Asia., Asian Studies Review, 10.1080/10357823.2022.2075322, Vol.46, Number 4, 613-630, 2022.06, ‘Easy Japanese’ (yasashii nihongo, YN) was initially developed to disseminate information to foreign residents during emergencies after the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck Japan in 1995. Since then, YN has been promoted as a tool for communicating with foreign residents, as well as with foreign visitors to Japan in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While it has gained partial recognition among the public, local governments have tried to use YN to deal with the increasing number of temporary workers from Southeast Asia. This study examines how YN is used by municipalities in the regions where foreign residents are concentrated, and whether that usage has changed in recent years. Based on interviews with employees of municipal offices and libraries, and information on their websites, as well as relevant government documents, it reveals a lack of systematic coordination within municipalities and an absence of any initiative by the central government to implement YN. It argues that the ambiguous positioning of YN within Japan’s language policy reinforces the division between Japanese people and people who do not speak Japanese, and highlights the government’s limited commitment to improving the lives of foreign workers in Japan..
2. Kusunoki, R., Japanese language for trainee nurses from Asia: the EPA scheme as a missed opportunity, Hashimoto, K. (ed.) Japanese language and soft power in Asia. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan., 10.1007/978-981-10-5086-2, 105-122, 2018.06.
3. Kusunoki, R. , Japanese native-speakers’ perceptions of non-native speakers: Communication between Japanese medical professionals and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) nurse trainees, In Houghton, S. A. & Hashimoto, K. (eds.) Towards post-native-speakerism: Dynamics and Shifts. Singapore: Springer Nature., 10.1007/978-981-10-7162-1, 113-127, 2018.06.
Membership in Academic Society
  • Association for Japanese Language Education
  • Japanese Association for Migration Policy Studies


Unauthorized reprint of the contents of this database is prohibited.

Copyright © 2006, Kyushu University. All rights reserved.