Oct 11 (Kyodo) - About 3.85 million people studied Japanese at a record 18,604 institutions overseas in fiscal 2018, with the number of institutions soaring in Asia, according to a survey released this week.
The number of Japanese language institutions jumped 3.7-fold to 818 in Vietnam from the previous survey in fiscal 2015 and nearly tripled to 400 in Myanmar, said the survey by the Japan Foundation, a government-backed organization conducting international cultural exchange programs.
The number of Japanese learners overseas rose 5.2 percent to 3,846,773, led by a 169.0 percent surge to 174,461 in Vietnam, it said.
The survey found a record high 142 countries and territories offering Japanese language education, five more than the fiscal 2015 level. The five include East Timor, Zimbabwe and Montenegro.
The total number of Japanese language institutions abroad was up 15.0 percent from fiscal 2015. Of the 18,604, the highest number was in South Korea at 2,998, followed by Indonesia at 2,842 and China at 2,435. Vietnam and Myanmar came in seventh and ninth, respectively.
