Basics for Registered Japanese Language Teachers

Which of the following is correct about the "Registered Japanese Language Teacher" qualification?

1. A national qualification established in April 2024 based on the Japanese Language Education Institution Accreditation Act
2. A national qualification established in April 2020 based on the Japanese Language Education Institution Accreditation Act
3. A national qualification established in April 2024 based on the Immigration Control Act
4. A national qualification established in April 2024 based on the Japanese Language Education Promotion Act

Which is correct about the structure of the "Basic Exam" (基礎試験) of the Registered Japanese Language Teacher exam?

1. Multiple-choice; 120-minute exam time; 100 questions
2. Multiple-choice; 90-minute exam time; 100 questions
3. Written/descriptive format; 120-minute exam time; 100 questions
4. Multiple-choice; 120-minute exam time; 110 questions

Which of the following is NOT one of the routes to obtaining the Registered Japanese Language Teacher qualification?

1. Training Institution Route
2. Examination Route
3. Transitional Measures Route
4. Work Experience Route

Which is correct about the structure of the Applied Exam (応用試験)?

1. Listening (50 minutes, 50 questions) and Reading (100 minutes, 60 questions), 110 questions total
2. Listening (60 minutes, 50 questions) and Reading (90 minutes, 60 questions), 110 questions total
3. Listening (50 minutes, 60 questions) and Reading (100 minutes, 50 questions), 110 questions total
4. Only Listening and Reading, with the same time and question count as the Basic Exam

Which is correct about the passing criteria for the Basic Exam?

1. At least 60% in each of the 5 categories of the 50 mandatory teaching content items, and at least 80% overall
2. At least 60% overall (no per-category standard)
3. At least 80% in each of the 5 categories of the 50 mandatory teaching content items
4. At least 80% overall (no per-category standard)

Which is correct about the passing criteria for the Applied Exam?

1. At least 60% overall (no per-category standard)
2. At least 80% overall, and at least 60% in each category
3. At least 60% in each of Listening and Reading separately
4. At least 60% overall, and at least 80% in Listening

Which is correct about the Practical Training (実践研修)?

1. At least 45 unit hours (1 unit hour = at least 45 minutes), conducted in the sequence: orientation → class observation → lesson preparation → mock lessons → classroom teaching practice → overall review
2. At least 30 unit hours, conducted in the sequence: orientation → classroom teaching practice → mock lessons → class observation → lesson preparation → overall review
3. At least 45 unit hours, but 1 unit hour is defined as at least 60 minutes
4. There is no defined unit hour requirement — the implementing institution can set it freely

Which is correct about Transitional Measures Route C?

1. It applies to graduates of training programs corresponding to the 50 mandatory items, regardless of whether they currently teach, and exempts them from the Basic Exam and Practical Training without requiring any course
2. It applies only to current Japanese language teachers, who are exempted from the Basic Exam and Practical Training by taking a course
3. It applies only to those who passed the Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test, exempting them from everything including the Applied Exam
4. There is no restriction on eligibility, but only the Practical Training is exempted

Which is correct about the pass rates of the 1st (Reiwa 6 / FY2024) and 2nd (Reiwa 7 / FY2025) Registered Japanese Language Teacher exams?

1. 1st: 62.6% → 2nd: 67.5%, a rise of about 4.9 points
2. 1st: 67.5% → 2nd: 62.6%, a drop of about 4.9 points
3. Both times the pass rate was about 65%, roughly flat
4. 1st: 62.6% → 2nd: rose to over 70%

Which is correct about the situation as of August 2026?

1. The Reiwa 8 (FY2026) exam is scheduled for November 8, 2026; the deadline for Transitional Measures Route C (end of March, Reiwa 15) is 5 years later than the deadline for Routes D, E, and F (end of March, Reiwa 11)
2. The Reiwa 8 exam was already held in October 2026, and all transitional measures routes share the same deadline of end of March, Reiwa 11
3. The schedule for the Reiwa 8 exam has not yet been announced
4. As of August 2026, all transitional measures routes have already ended

Which is NOT one of the 5 categories of the 50 mandatory teaching content items?

1. Society, Culture, and Region
2. Language and Society
3. Language and Education
4. Language and Assessment

Which of the 5 categories includes the qualities and competencies of Japanese language teachers, teaching methods, and assessment methods, and has the most items?

1. Language and Education
2. Language and Psychology
3. Language and Society
4. Society, Culture, and Region

Which of the following is correctly included in the "Language and Psychology" category?

1. Discourse comprehension, language learning, acquisition processes (first and second language), learning strategies
2. Society and culture of the world and Japan, multicultural coexistence, history of Japanese language education
3. Sociolinguistics, deference/honorific expressions, verbal and non-verbal behavior
4. Phonological and phonetic systems, writing and orthography, grammatical system

Which of the following is correctly included in the "Language" category, which purely analyzes language itself?

1. General linguistics, contrastive linguistics, phonological and phonetic systems, grammatical system, semantic system
2. Sociolinguistics, communication strategies, multiculturalism and multilingualism
3. Understanding and practicing Japanese language education programs, teaching material analysis, creation, and development
4. Cross-cultural acceptance and adaptation, learning strategies

Which is correct about the relationship between the Basic Exam's pass/fail determination and the 5 categories?

1. If even one of the 5 categories falls below 60%, the candidate fails even with an overall score of 80% or higher
2. A "sacrifice-subject" approach is possible, where meeting the standard in just your strongest of the 5 categories is enough to pass
3. The per-category standard applies only to the Applied Exam and has nothing to do with the Basic Exam
4. Scoring 80% or higher in all 5 categories guarantees a pass regardless of the overall score

Which category includes "deference/honorific expressions" and "communication strategies"?

1. Language and Society
2. Language and Psychology
3. Language and Education
4. Society, Culture, and Region

Which of the following is NOT one of the 5 hypotheses that make up Krashen's "Monitor Model"?

1. Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
2. Natural Order Hypothesis
3. Critical Period Hypothesis
4. Affective Filter Hypothesis

Which is the correct explanation of Krashen's "Input Hypothesis"?

1. Acquisition progresses through exposure to comprehensible input slightly above the learner's current level i (i.e., i+1)
2. Acquisition only progresses through output (production)
3. Providing a large amount of input at the same level as a native speaker (i) is most effective
4. The higher the difficulty of the input (i+2), the greater the acquisition effect

Which of Krashen's hypotheses explains the function of consciously checking and correcting one's own speech using knowledge gained through "learning"?

1. Monitor Hypothesis
2. Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
3. Natural Order Hypothesis
4. Affective Filter Hypothesis

Which is NOT one of the 3 functions cited in Swain's "Output Hypothesis"?

1. Noticing function
2. Hypothesis-testing function
3. Affective filter function
4. Metalinguistic function

What is it called when a learner's incorrect language forms or rules become fixed and increasingly resistant to correction?

1. Fossilization
2. Interlanguage
3. Affective filter
4. Critical period

Which is the correct order of theoretical development in error research?

1. Contrastive Analysis (Lado) → Error Analysis (Corder) → Interlanguage (Selinker)
2. Interlanguage (Selinker) → Contrastive Analysis (Lado) → Error Analysis (Corder)
3. Error Analysis (Corder) → Interlanguage (Selinker) → Contrastive Analysis (Lado)
4. Contrastive Analysis (Lado) → Interlanguage (Selinker) → Error Analysis (Corder)

Who proposed the concept of "interlanguage" in 1972, which holds that a learner's language has its own system that is neither the native language nor the target language?

1. Selinker
2. Krashen
3. Swain
4. Lado

Who proposed the hypothesis that "if language is not acquired between infancy and around puberty, it becomes difficult to attain native-speaker-level language ability"?

1. Lenneberg
2. Krashen
3. Selinker
4. Swain

Which is the correct explanation of the Japanese grammar term "voice" (ヴォイス/態)?

1. A grammatical category expressing the relationship between the subject and the agent, as in active, passive, and causative sentences
2. A grammatical category expressing phases of action, such as "-te iru" and "-te shimau"
3. A grammatical category expressing the speaker's subjective judgments, such as conjecture, volition, and obligation
4. A grammatical category expressing temporal position within a sentence (past, present, future)

Which is the correct explanation of the Japanese grammar term "aspect" (アスペクト/相)?

1. It expresses phases of action such as progression, completion, and resultant state, as in "-te iru" and "-te shimau"
2. It expresses the relationship between the subject and the agent, as in active, passive, and causative
3. It expresses the speaker's subjective attitude, such as conjecture and volition
4. A grammatical category that classifies types of case particles

Which is the correct explanation of "modality" (モダリティ/様相)?

1. It expresses the speaker's subjective judgments and attitudes (conjecture, volition, obligation, etc.) and is positioned near the end of the sentence
2. It expresses phases of action (progression, completion) and is positioned immediately after the verb
3. It expresses the relationship between the subject and the agent and is positioned immediately before the verb
4. It is a type of case particle positioned at the beginning of the sentence

Which is the general correct order in which grammatical categories attach to a verb?

1. Voice → Aspect → Tense → Modality
2. Modality → Tense → Aspect → Voice
3. Aspect → Voice → Modality → Tense
4. Tense → Aspect → Voice → Modality

Which case particle has the most uses among all case particles, including destination, target person, place, cause, agent, object, means, and time?

1. ni
2. de
3. ga
4. wo

Which is the correct combination of uses expressed by the case particle "de"?

1. Place, means, cause/grounds, agent, limit, domain, purpose, manner
2. Agent and object only
3. Destination and target person only
4. Origin and path/range only

Which is correct about the origin usage of the case particles "kara" and "yori"?

1. Both can express origin, but in modern Japanese "yori" is somewhat literary and limited in its origin usage, while "kara" is the common choice
2. "Yori" cannot express origin — only "kara" can express origin
3. "Kara" cannot express origin — only "yori" can express origin
4. In modern Japanese, both are equally common as expressions of origin

Which is a correct use expressed by the case particle "wo"?

1. In addition to the object, it also expresses origin (as in "gakkō wo deta" — left school) and path/range (as in "michi no mannaka wo tōtta" — passed through the middle of the road)
2. It expresses only the object, not origin or path/range
3. It expresses only origin
4. It expresses only path/range

Which is correct about the features of the "Grammar-Translation Method"?

1. Mainstream from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, centered on explaining grammar rules and translating into the native language, making it difficult to develop speaking and conversational ability
2. Emerged in the early 20th century, emphasizing spoken language without using the learner's native language
3. Emphasizes prompting learner "noticing" while the teacher remains silent
4. Centered on practice where learners respond to the teacher's instructions with physical movements

Which is correct about the features of the "Direct Method"?

1. Emerged in the early 20th century as a reaction against the Grammar-Translation Method, emphasizing spoken language using only the target language without the learner's native language
2. A teaching method centered on translation into the native language and explanation of grammar rules
3. A teaching method in which the teacher and learner converse based on counseling theory
4. A teaching method that emphasizes habit formation through pattern practice

Which is correct about the origins and proponents of the "Audio-Lingual Method"?

1. It originated in the "Army Method" for U.S. military personnel during World War II, and was advocated by Fries and others at the University of Michigan
2. It was advocated by Gattegno after World War II
3. It was advocated by European linguists in the 19th century
4. It was advocated by Asher in the 1970s

Which is the correct combination of theoretical foundations of the Audio-Lingual Method?

1. Structural linguistics and behaviorist psychology
2. Generative grammar and cognitive psychology
3. Sociolinguistics and humanistic psychology
4. Pragmatics and developmental psychology

Which is the correct order in which teaching methods emerged?

1. Grammar-Translation Method → Direct Method → Audio-Lingual Method → Communicative Approach
2. Direct Method → Grammar-Translation Method → Communicative Approach → Audio-Lingual Method
3. Audio-Lingual Method → Grammar-Translation Method → Direct Method → Communicative Approach
4. Communicative Approach → Audio-Lingual Method → Direct Method → Grammar-Translation Method

Which teaching method has the teacher speak as little as possible, using color-coded charts and rods as teaching aids to promote learner "noticing"?

1. Silent Way
2. TPR (Total Physical Response)
3. CLL (Community Language Learning)
4. Audio-Lingual Method

Which is the correct pairing of the teaching method that applies counseling theory, with the teacher acting as a "counselor" to emphasize reducing learner anxiety, and its proponent?

1. CLL (Community Language Learning) — Curran
2. TPR (Total Physical Response) — Asher
3. Silent Way — Gattegno
4. CLL (Community Language Learning) — Asher

Which is a common feature shared by the Silent Way, CLL, and TPR?

1. All are classified as "humanistic teaching methods" that emerged from the 1960s onward, emphasizing learners' personal growth and psychological well-being
2. All emerged by the 1950s, before the Audio-Lingual Method
3. All are alike in centering on translation into the learner's native language
4. All are alike in having the teacher unilaterally explain grammar rules