Japan Foundation President, Mr. Kurosawa Shinya visits NCF

October 16, 2024by secretariat in JFMO, PIJLC-NCF

On August 29, 2024, the President of The Japan Foundation, Mr. KUROSAWA Shinya, visited the Nihongo Center Foundation, Inc. (NCF) in Makati City. He was accompanied by Mr. SUZUKI Ben, Country Director of Japan Foundation Manila. Mr. Francis C. Laurel, NCF Chairman, Mr. Philip B. Sanvictores, President, and Mr. Kenjiro Ogata, Academic Advisor welcomed Mr. Kurosawa.

Mr. Laurel first showed Mr. Kurosawa the memorabilia of Ambassador Jose S. Laurel III, founder of The Philippines-Japan Society, including all its affiliate organizations, including NCF.

Then, Mr. Kurosawa met with NCF Management to discuss challenges in Japanese language learning. They also exchanged ideas on areas improvement as well as opportunities for expanding Nihongo learning in the country. Given the current state of Japanese language education in the Philippines, the meeting highlighted the need for teacher training in the country to address the perennial shortage of qualified Filipino teachers of the Japanese language.

Mr. Kurosawa also met with some members of the NCF Faculty, including former Japan Foundation Grantees for Short-Term and Long-Term Teaching Training Program at JF Urawa. The teachers took turns introducing themselves and engaging in casual conversations wherein Mr. Kurosawa also shared his previous professional experiences in the Philippines.

Japan Prime Minister’s Wife Yuko Kishida visits NCF

April 2, 2024by secretariat in PIJLC-NCF

Last November 4, 2023, the wife of Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Mrs. Yuko Kishida, visited the Nihongo Center Foundation, Inc. (NCF) office in Makati as part of her and the Prime Minister’s two-day visit to the Philippines.

Upon Mrs. Kishida’s arrival at the office, she was greeted and welcomed by Mr. Francis C. Laurel, Chairman of NCF, along with the other NCF officials, Mr. Philip B. Sanvictores, President; and Mr. Kenjiro Ogata, Academic Advisor.

Mrs. Kishida (left) together with the wife of Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Mrs. Yuko Koshikawa (right), sat in class with six NCF students taking up Intermediate Level Japanese who conversed with the two in an engaging exchange. Mrs. Kishida wished the students luck in their future pursuits and urged them to continue with their Japanese language education.

She also had a discussion with a few nurse and care worker candidates under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), talking about the candidates’ struggles in their undertaking of nursing and caregiving as well as their aspirations as nurses and care workers, among others. Mrs. Kishida shared her hopes for them saying, “To be able to support the people, nurses and care workers are essential […] I hope you enjoy your life in Japan.” After their Japanese language training, the nurses and care worker candidates intend to work in Japanese medical and care facilities in various parts of Japan.

Reference: https://nihongocenter.com.ph/2023/11/japan-prime-ministers-wife-yuko-kishida-visits-ncf/
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The 13th Japanese-Language Training Program for Nurses and Certified Care Workers Opens 3 March 2021

March 4, 2021by Philip Sanvictores in PIJLC-NCF

The 13th Preparatory Japanese-Language Training for the Filipino Candidates Nurses and Certified Care Workers under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) began last 3 March 2021 in opening ceremonies held online. 239 provisional candidates were accepted under the Program out of which 14 were nurses and 225 were certified care workers. The JPEPA requires all candidates to undergo a 6-month intensive training on Japanese language basics, which for the first time will be conducted online.

During the virtual opening ceremony held last March 3, 2021, Mr. Tsutomu “Ben” Suzuki, Director of The Japan Foundation, Manila stressed that the objectives of the training are: (1) to gain basic knowledge and usage of Japanese Language; (2) to acquire vocabularies and learn expressions used in nursing and care-giving; (3) to learn about general life culture of Japan. The program also aims to acquire the habit of self-training to enhance their study of the Japanese Language. Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko of Japan, Atty. Bernard Olalia – Administrator, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Mr. Philip Sanvictores, President of Nihongo Center Foundation, Inc. delivered inspirational messages.

Mr. Sanvictores imparted some insights to the candidate-trainees: “Nihongo will be your key to a fulfilling and productive stay in Japan. Language will be the foundation underneath heart-to-heart relationships which in essence defines the true meaning behind Philippines-Japan relations. Learning Nihongo will require hard work, concentration, seriousness, even passion. Acquiring fluency in Japanese – and any foreign language for that matter – will take much time.”

The trainees’ pre-deployment Nihongo training in the Philippines will continue for another six months upon their arrival in Japan, before they are assigned to their respective hospitals and caregiving institutions there.

Resources:

Opening Ceremony Program

Speech of Mr. Tsutomu Suzuki

Speech of Amb. Kazuhiko Koshikawa

Speech of Atty. Bernard Olalia

Speech of Mr. Philip B. Sanvictores

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Financial Incentive for July 2020 JLPT Passers

March 5, 2020by Philip Sanvictores in PIJLC-NCF tagged jlpt

PILJC and NCF students taking the JLPT (N1・N2・N3・N4) on July 5, 2020 can receive a registration fee rebate upon passing the test. Those who are currently enrolled or have finished a course in 2020 are eligible for this financial incentive.

Interested students are requested to submit their exam voucher by July 3, 2020. A check equal to the registration fee paid will be issued by NCF within a month after receiving the student’s score report and certificate.

For complete details on how you can avail of the financial incentive, please read the mechanics below or you may also contact NCF or PIJLC branches.

PJFF Awards Long-term Employees in 2019 Christmas Party

January 14, 2020by Philip Sanvictores in PIJLC-NCF, PJFF

The holiday spirit came early for PJFF staff as they celebrated their Christmas party on November 30, 2019 at the PJFF office in Makati. Two other affiliate organizations—Nihongo Center Foundation (NCF) and The Philippine Institute of Japanese Language & Culture Foundation, Inc. (PIJLC) also joined the event.

One of the highlights of this year’s party was the awarding of certificates to long-term employees of PJFF, NCF/PIJLC. The service awardees:

Amelita Alejandro, Head Accountant, PJFF – 10 years
Glenda Ferma, Administrator, PJFF – 27 years
Jovita Sancho, Full-time Nihongo Teacher, NCF/PIJLC – 11 years
Ma. Lynn Canlas, Building Supervisor, PJFF – 11 years
Ronilo Dincol, Maintanance Staff, PJFF – 12 years

The staff enjoyed games, a raffle draw, and intermission numbers in between the awarding of certificates. They also exchanged Christmas gifts during the event.

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