What's On

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a test for non-native speakers of Japanese which evaluates and certifies their Japanese-Language proficiency. The test takes place twice a year (July and December) in Japan and various locations around the world. Currently, it is the largest Japanese language test in the world, with approximately 1.9 million people worldwide having registered for the JLPT in 2025.

The next December JLPT will take place on Sunday, 6^th December 2026. Registration will start at each test centre from early/ mid-August.  

Please check this page for any updates on UK test centres for the December 2026 JLPT. For application opening dates and registration details, please refer to each university’s website using the links below (Please note that the JLPT is very popular and registration at each test centre will close when the test centre has reached its maximum capacity.):

- Japan Research Centre, SOAS University of London SOAS Applications have now closed

- University of Leicester

- University of Edinburgh Applications at University of Edinburgh have now closed 

Important Changes

1. Starting from 2025, examinees are not allowed to use mobile phones and other devices, including smartwatches and all camera and communication devices, until the end of the entire test, including during breaks. Examinees must turn OFF their devices until the test is completed. If the devices are turned ON during breaks, it will be considered misconduct and their test scores will be invalidated.

2. Starting from 2026, examinees who arrive after the set time that registration at the venue has finished will not be permitted to take the first test section. They will be permitted to enter the test room from the second test section. However, if examinees miss a section, they cannot pass the JLPT. Furthermore, since the December 2025 JLPT exams, the start time of the exam has been changed to an earlier time than previous years. Please check the new test schedule on your test centre’s website and on your test voucher, and make sure that you will be able to arrive at the venue on time for registration.

3. CEFR Levels have been added as reference information in JLPT score reports starting from the December 2025 JLPT. For details, please check here.

For more information about the test, please visit JLPT website.

Ø  Let’s Try Sample Questions!

Applications for JaLaChamp 2027 will start in September 2026.

We will be announcing more details including application information and guidelines in September, so please follow our social media accounts and updates in this page.

In the meantime, if you are interested in learning about the previous JaLaChamp, please check:

- Videos from JaLaChamp 2026 Finals Day

JaLaChamp, or Japanese Language Championship for Young Learners UK, is a contest for primary and secondary school students studying Japanese. There are two categories - the speech category, where students give a speech on a theme of their choice, and the video category where students are asked to create an original video either by individual or part of a group.

We want to encourage students to share with us their thoughts and viewpoints, as well as show us their creativity in full and have fun challenging themselves by entering this contest and using their Japanese!

We look forward to receiving many fantastic speeches and videos!

We're delighted to once again partner with the 15th Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival to showcase an outstanding selection of Japanese animation in Wales.

With the rare opportunity to see titles ranging from the classic Dojoji Temple (1976) in celebration of director KAWAMOTO Kihachiro’s 101st birthday to the contemporary sci-fi All You Need is Kill (2025), discover an exciting range of animation from Japan.

Chapter will also host a talk with CGI artist INABA Masaya and a performance by JERO11, whose music blends heavy metal with traditional Japanese folk. Returning to Chapter is the ‘family corner’ and BSL interpreter, helping to make Japanese animation accessible to all. 

Top image includes stills from: Akira, ©1988 MASH・ROOM / AKIRA COMMITTEE All Rights Reserved.; Lupin the IIIrd the Movie: The Immortal Bloodline, ©MP/T; 100M, ⒸUoto, Kodansha/100m Film Partners; Angels’ Egg, © Mamoru Oshii/Yoshitaka Amano/Tokuma Shoten, Tokuma Japan Communications All Rights Reserved

The UK is enjoying a surge in the popularity of Japanese contemporary literature. Yet, one particular genre remains overlooked: crime and mystery. However, with the recent trend of Japanese works being shortlisted for the Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation, it is clear that this genre which boasts a great variety in Japan deserves more attention in the UK, the home of crime fiction.

With this in mind, the Japan Foundation is delighted to bring Akane ARAKI to the UK for the first time this October, in celebration of her newly translated debut novel, Murder at the End of the World（『此の世の果ての殺人』. ARAKI, praised by many well-known mystery novelists such as Yukito AYATSUJI and Arisu ARISUGAWA, is somebody we all should watch out for, regardless of if you are a fan of crime novels.

Murder at the End of the World:

An asteroid is hurtling towards Earth and the human race has just over two months to live. But twenty-three-year-old Haru, stargazer and chronic worrier, is still trying to pass her driving test. Then she finds a body in the boot of her car: a woman, stabbed and tortured. There’s a murderer on the loose. And it turns out that Haru’s driving instructor is an ex-cop with a manic devotion to justice. So, despite the small matter of an impending apocalypse, the two women team up to catch the culprit regardless of the danger. After all, the world’s not quite over yet…

About Akane ARAKI

Akane ARAKI was born in 1998 in Fukuoka, Japan and is a graduate of Kyushu University’s School of Letters. At 23 years old she published her debut novel, Murder at the End of the World, after her manuscript won Japan’s most prestigious award for unpublished crime writers, the Edogawa Rampo Prize.

国際交流基金ロンドン日本文化センター日本語教育セミナー

多言語環境で育つ子どもたちの「ことば」の世界　

― ことばの選び方から読み解こう―

■ご案内

本セミナーは、日本語教育の専門家をお招きし、「多言語環境で育つ子どもたちの『ことば』の世界 ～ことばの選び方から読み解こう～」と題して、多言語環境で育つ子どもたちのことばに関する講演と、国際交流基金ロンドン日本文化センターの日本語アドバイザーによる「GCSE＆A-level日本語試験の基本情報」の2部構成でお送りします。「子どものことばの背景をもっと深く理解したい」「GCSEってどんなテストか知りたい」というみなさまのご参加をお待ちしております。なお、第2部はGCSEの概要をお知りになりたい保護者の方を対象としています。

We are delighted to announce an upcoming seminar, featuring an expert in Japanese language education.

This event will be held in two parts:

The first part features a talk on the language development of children growing up in multilingual environments. The second part, presented by a Japanese Language advisor from the Japan Foundation, London will share essential Information on GCSE and A-level Japanese Examinations.

We highly encourage attendance from anyone who wishes to better understand the background of children's linguistic development, as well as those interested in learning about Japanese GCSE exams. Please note that the second part of this event is tailored specifically for parents who are new to and/or unfamiliar with the GCSE system.

We look forward to welcoming you all to this seminar.

■セミナー概要

• タイトル: 多言語環境で育つ子どもたちの「ことば」の世界 ～ことばの選び方から読み解こう～
• 日時: 2026年9月13日（日）　10時‐12時（英国時間）
• 形態: オンライン/休憩など含み全120分
• 使用言語:　日本語
• 参加費: 無料
• 対象: 英国内外で日本につながるお子さんを子育て中の保護者、日本語教師、本テーマに関心のある方ならどなたでも　（第2部はGCSEの概要をお知りになりたい保護者の方を対象としています。）

■プログラム

• 第1部: 多言語環境で育つ子どもたちの「ことば」の世界 ～ことばの選び方から読み解こう～
• 講師: 段上知里（だんじょうちさと）先生　ヨーク・セント・ジョン大学
• 時間: 60分＋Q&A　

※第1部のみ録画編集し、後日参加申請者を対象に期間限定で公開予定です。

• 第2部: GCSE, A-level 日本語試験の基本情報
• 担当: 日本語アドバイザー　国際交流基金ロンドン日本文化センター
• 時間: 30分　

■第一部 多言語環境で育つ子どもたちの「ことば」の世界 ～ことばの選び方から読み解こう～

セミナー要旨 (講師から):

子どもたちは、話す相手や状況に合わせて、驚くほど豊かに「ことば」を使い分けています。「どうしてここではこのことばを使ったのかな？」という疑問は、子どもが日々の生活で築いている人間関係や、その子なりの経験を知る大切なヒントになります。

今回は、継承語教育の視点から、私たち親や教師が子どもの「ことば」をどう見つめ、その使い分けに込められた意味をどう読み解けるのかをお話しします。家庭や学校、地域での具体的な子どもの姿（言語使用の事例）を見ながら、分かりやすく解説します。子どもたちの「ことば」の成長を支えるために、私たち大人はどんな視点を持つとよいのでしょうか。みなさんと一緒に、新しい気づきを見つけていきたいと思います。

■講師プロフィール

段上知里先生（PhD, SFHEA）

ヨーク・セント・ジョン大学の日本語および言語学の准教授。研究対象は、マルチリンガリズム、言語政策と実践、家族言語プランニングとメインテナンス、文化とアイデンティティに関する言語をめぐる諸課題など。また、多元的言語観の理論を教育実践していくことにも関心がある。

■お申込み: こちらから　　

※締め切り: 2026年9月9日（水）　17時（英国時間）

お問合せ: 国際交流基金ロンドン日本文化センター　

events.japanese@jpf.go.jp 

チラシのダウンロードはこちらから

みなさまのご参加をお待ちしております。

国際交流基金ロンドン日本文化センター　

日本語チーム

Date:	13 September 2026 from 10.00am to 12.00pm
Venue:	Online
Download 0913用チラシQR付

This webinar is intended for librarians, researchers, and other people outside of Japan who are engaged in Japanese studies. The goal of this webinar is to learn and improve basic skills for finding and using information related to research in Japanese studies.

The advancement of digital technology has encouraged Japanese studies outside of Japan and made it easier to obtain a wide range of information on premodern Japan, not just classical literature. Consequently, innovative and authentic research is in progress in the field of Japanese classical literature.
There is no denying that Japanese premodern books, wahon (和本), are the primary subjects or resources for conducting research in the field.

In this lecture focusing on wahon, Dr. Sasaki TAKAHIRO demonstrates the basic knowledge required when using a vast number of digital images for research, as well as methods and precautions for utilizing these images, providing specific examples.

Video available to watch on demand on YouTube. You must apply before watching the video.

Date: Video available between Monday 2 February to  Monday 2 March 2026.

Eligibility: 

1. Librarians or researchers outside of Japan who are engaged in Japanese Studies.
   * This includes students and others who have a professional interest in Japanese studies.
2. Librarians in Japan

Language: Japanese (no translation or interpretation)

Click here to apply to watch the video.

• Applicants will be sent an email containing URLs needed to watch the video and download the handout.
•  
• For Enquiries, please contact：
• Training and Exchange Section,
  Library Support Division,
  Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
  To contact us, please complete the Inquiry Form available on our website. Select 'Others', begin your message with 'Regarding Training Program,' and then provide the details of your inquiry.
•  
•  

The Japan Foundation is delighted to be bringing award-winning author Nao-cola YAMAZAKI to tour the UK this October. Nao-cola’s instant best-selling books Don’t Laugh at Other People’s Sex Lives （『人のセックスを笑うな』）and Beautiful Distance（『美しい距離』）have recently been translated and made available in English. 

Nao-cola YAMAZAKI is a highly respected author in Japan with admirers in the literary world including Asako YUZUKI. As a non-binary writer, Nao-cola recognises the importance of diversity and being an individual in society which they beautifully and sensitively put into writing. Nao-cola’s novels resonate with reader’s hearts and some have even been adapted into film, including a short story, Hand（『手』）, which was screened as part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme.

Beautiful Distance:

A man sits in a cafe, sipping a green juice and watching the world go by. A white butterfly flutters through the air; a calico cat jumps onto a wall; cherry blossom petals fall, softly, to the ground. Life, momentarily, stands still. Our unnamed narrator is preparing to visit his terminally ill wife in hospital.

Don’t Laugh at Other People’s Sex Lives:

Art student Isogai first models for one of his tutors, the much older Yuri, then begins a passionate affair with her. As he gets to know her better, he struggles to understand his own emotions and his place in the world, just as he yearns to be closer to her and for her to share more of herself with him.

About Nao-Cola YAMAZAKI:

Nao-Cola YAMAZAKI (山崎 ナオコーラ) is a Japanese writer. They pride themselves on writing ‘things no one else can say in words anyone can understand’. They have won the Bungei Prize and the Shimase Award for Love Stories and been nominated multiple times for the Akutagawa Prize. Their first title to be translated into English was FRIENDSHIP FOR GROWN-UPS, a chapbook published by Stranger Press in 2017 and similarly translated by the acclaimed Polly Barton. The Japan Times praised Yamazaki's "skill in evoking the ambiguity of contemporary life" and called the collection "a small book that says a lot about the way we live today". Their debut novel DON’T LAUGH AT OTHER PEOPLE’S SEX LIVES and their prize-winning BEAUTIFUL DISTANCE published this spring with Daunt Books in the UK, and is set to publish in the US with SJP Lit this September.