Key facts
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the Japan Foundation to develop the app after budget approval for the next fiscal year, The Japan Times reported.
- The Japan Foundation expects to complete the app by fiscal 2028, according to The Japan Times.
- The foundation plans to negotiate with rights holders to use well-known anime and manga characters, The Japan Times reported.
- A 2024 Japan Foundation survey found 61.3% of students at overseas Japanese-language institutions cited anime, manga, J-pop and J-fashion as their motivation.
- The ministry requested ¥1.83 billion ($11.6 million) for fiscal 2027 to support overseas expansion of Japanese content.
Japan's government will develop an artificial intelligence-powered app for learning Japanese that features characters from popular anime and manga, Nikkei reported. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the Japan Foundation to build the app after budget approval for the next fiscal year, according to The Japan Times, which said the foundation expects to complete it by fiscal 2028.
The app is aimed mainly at young people overseas who are interested in anime and manga, and would let users practice conversations with characters using AI. Earlier apps and websites made by the foundation used original characters because of copyright restrictions; for this project the foundation plans to negotiate with rights holders to secure well-known characters, The Japan Times reported. It is the first time the foundation has put AI into its language-learning services.
The government is seeking to widen Japan's soft power, particularly in emerging and developing economies in Africa and Central and South America, where its cultural presence is weaker than in other markets. A 2024 Japan Foundation survey found interest in anime, manga, J-pop and J-fashion was the most commonly cited reason for studying Japanese, given by 61.3% of students at overseas Japanese-language education institutions. The same survey put the number of Japanese-language learners overseas at a record 4 million, up 5.4% from the previous survey in 2021.
The ministry requested ¥1.83 billion ($11.6 million) for fiscal 2027 to support the overseas expansion of Japanese content. Other initiatives include networks between Japanese and local content industry professionals, promotion of legitimate distribution channels to combat piracy, and support for translators. The ministry hopes the app will widen access to Japanese-language education where schools and qualified teachers are scarce and offer a lower-cost alternative to building more overseas teaching facilities.