InsideJapan News Network

The number of undergraduate and postgraduate students studying the Japanese language has steadily grown, a new report claims.

Oxford Brookes and Newcastle universities were among the establishments which saw a significant increase in the uptake of Japanese language courses in recent years, reports Japan Today.

The Japan Foundation asked 32 university departments to provide information on student numbers, resources and course availability.

A mixed picture emerged from the study, however. Of those surveyed, 12 departments said they were experiencing difficulties when it came to the running of courses.

While the north of England has seen the creation of a Japanese language centre of excellent, departments in other universities have reported funding and staffing shortages.

Five universities said there was low demand for Japanese language courses.

A separate study also recently found that a record number of overseas students were travelling to Japan to attend universities there.