A Web-Based Approach to Improve the Learning Environment of Japanese in Slovenia

In this paper we present the problems in developing the learning environment of Japanese as a foreign language in a small European country with its own language, and suggest a method of improvement. The Republic of Slovenia, an EU member state with a population of approximately 2 million, geographically and culturally distant from Japan, is taken as an example. Not only is the number of Japanologists in Slovenia quite small, the small number of potential purchasers results in higher prices for books, leading to difficulties in publishing Japanese language related materials. In this paper, construction of a learning support environment based on an information system incorporating Web 2.0 elements is proposed as the means of improvement: centralizing the existing resources on a single, academically credible website based on the Slovene language and focused on Japanese language learning, and inviting participation from not only Slovene students and scholars, but also Japanese students willing to support foreign students in learning the Japanese language.