THE time when most Japanese believed that teaching English to children yet to learn their mother tongue was impractical has changed. Now an increasing number of parents in Japan want their children to acquire both languages simultaneously.
Mana Kitazawa was 18 months old when she first started going to Poppins International Pre-school in Tokyo, Japan. At her pre-school, Mana uses English when she plays with kids ranging in age from 14 months to 3 years hailing from Britain, China, France and the US.
"About 15 to 20 per cent of our conversations with Mana are in English," said Mana Kitazawa's parents, who lived in the US for a few years as university students.
Katsuhito Matsushima, a senior researcher in charge of Yano Research Institute's education business, said the English education market for children is expanding in Japan, while that for adult learners has become saturated.
According to the private think tank in Japan, the market for English conversation schools for kids ranging from toddlers to age 15 has expanded to 91 billion yen (US$ 0.77 billion). The market for English study materials for pre-schoolers meanwhile has increased to 46 billion yen (US$ 0.39 billion).
The boom gathered steam after public elementary schools started offering English-language activities, including songs and games, during "comprehensive studies" classes. According to Japan's Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, more than 90 per cent of the 22,481 public elementary schools nationwide offered such lessons.
But experts are split on English education for toddlers.
Norimitsu Tosu, a linguistic anthropologist at Keio University, Japan, said heavy exposure to English at an early age helps children develop listening ability and phonics.
"Parents have experienced being unable to communicate with foreigners well when they were abroad due to poor English skills," he said. "So they know the drawbacks of not speaking English well."
But Yukuo Konishi, a professor of infant behavioural development at Tokyo Women's Medical University, Japan, said forcing youngsters to study English can have shortcomings. He said children acquire language skills as they grow.
"Since parents spend a lot of money on English education for their children, they may expect results that match their investments," Konishi said.
