Academic Year 2024 Second Foreign Language Registration
In addition to English, PEARL students will learn German, French, Chinese, Spanish, or Japanese as a foreign
language. Carefully read the instructions below, and list your language preferences by filling out the designated
section on the online enrollment system. Please note that we offer foreign language courses at the beginner’s
level only, so choose a language that you have never studied before.
For native Japanese speakers:
- If your mother tongue is Japanese, please select three from the other languages and prioritize them from
your first to third choice. Please note that you are not guaranteed to get your first choice. If the demand
exceeds places available for your choices, you may be enrolled in your second or third choice.
For students whose first language is not Japanese:
- If you are a beginner of Japanese language, you must take
Japanese. Choices are ‘Japanese (regular)’ and ‘Japanese
(intensive)’. Select one as your first choice and the other as
your second choice.
- If you already have some knowledge of Japanese, you
cannot take ‘Japanese (regular)’. You are advised to choose
from other languages which you have not studied before.
However, you may also include ‘Japanese (intensive)’ as
one of your choices.
NOTE: The ‘intensive’ class consists of six 90-minute
sessions per week, while the ‘regular’ class consists
of three 90-minute sessions per week.
Language
Course
Code
German
1
French
2
Chinese
3
Spanish
4
Japanese (regular)
5
Japanese (intensive)
6
Please read the following descriptions for further information.
German
When the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union in January 2020, the geopolitical
structure of the EU shifted eastward as the economic center of “Europe” now belonged to the continental
mainland. As a result, a number of Japanese corporations also relocated their head offices from London, England
to either France or Germany.
A brief examination of history reveals that the EU was created as a system centered around Germany and France
in order to prevent a repetition of the conflicts which eventually erupted into World War II. In recent years
however, this system, and the role that Germany and France play in world politics and economics, is once again
attracting attention from scholars and laymen around the world.
Germany’s precision manufacturing complex and electronics factories support a core automobile industry that
has made impressive inroads to Japan with well-known brands ranging from Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz,
BMW, Audi, Porsche, and more. Likewise, Germany’s chemical and pharmaceutical prowess extends back to
the end of the Edo Period when the Siemens corporation donated a telegraph system to Japan’s shogunate
government. This remarkable legacy of innovation remains to this day in Germany’s modern corporations,
including BioNTech, a company key to the development of the Pfizer vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Germany’s expertise also includes achievements in the field of Economics with historical figures such as Karl
Marx and Friedrich Engels publishing Capital: Critique of Political Economy in the 19th century and Reinhard
Selten, the University of Bonn professor, winning the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his Game Theory
treatise as recently as 1994.
The German-speaking world has given life to incredible creative minds in philosophy (Leibniz, Kant, Hegel,
Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Habermas, etc.), literature (Das Nibelungenlied, Goethe, Schiller, Kafka,
Thomas Mann, Ende, etc.) music (Classical Music: Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, Schumann, Brahms,
Bruckner, Wagner, Schönberg as well as Kraftwerk’s electronic music, Rammstein’s contributions to rock, and
Heino’s performances of Schlager), art (Dürer，Grünewald, Riemenschneider, Cranach, Beuys, Kiefer, Richter,
etc.) and a variety of other enterprises.
Athletically, Germany boasts world-class athletes in sports with roots in medieval chivalry such as fencing and
equestrian events in addition to a phenomenal national soccer team.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the forests of West Germany, especially Schwarzwald, the Black Forest, were severely
damaged by acid rain, leading to increased awareness of environmental protection and preservation. This desire
to protect the environment has developed in recent years into global initiatives such as the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), policies for renewable energy, and other measures related to reducing climate
change. Japan’s recent “eco-bag” movement also drew inspiration from Germany. It would not be an
exaggeration to say that studying Germany and its cultural currents can provide hints on how people can confront
the diverse challenges facing our world today.
Keio University has multiple outbound study abroad programs available throughout the Germany-speaking
world. This includes universities in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with the Keio Faculty of Economics
home to its very own exchange programs with the University of Cologne, Frankfurt University, Leipzig
University, University of Mannheim, the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and the University of
St. Gallen.
While German as a language is often portrayed as difficult to learn, it is actually quite similar to English. This is
incredibly advantageous to students because it allows them to import their understanding of English grammatical
constructions into their German studies. If you see the sentence, “Mein Name ist Fukuzawa Yukichi,” even if
you have never read German in your life, the similarity to English makes the analogous meaning clear.
We hope that all of our students at the Faculty of Economics are able to broaden their horizons and experience
the spirit of life in Europe by learning more about Germany and its language.
French
French is an international language. Currently, the number of French speakers has exceeded 220 million, and by
2050, it is expected to reach nearly 800 million, 85% of whom will live in Africa （International Organization
of La Francophonie 2019）. Along with English, French is the only language spoken and taught across all five
continents, and it has the second largest number of learners. It is also the second most-used language in
diplomacy and the third most-used language in business. Many international conferences and international
organizations use French as an official language.
French also helps us to understand the world we live in. What do you think of when you hear the name “France”?
Is it fashion, premium food and wine, or the idea of “joie de vivre”, that is important to French people? Each of
those things represents France, but there is more to France than just that. France is the country where Descartes,
a prominent rationalist, was born, and where the French revolution championed freedom, equality, and fraternity,
which had a great impact on modern democratic countries. Therefore, learning French is important in
understanding our modern society and how it was shaped.
France played an important role in the establishment and introduction of the Euro, helping it become a huge
European market center. This history has led to strong business ties between many Japanese and French
companies, and with young French people fascinated by Japanese anime and cartoons, the two countries have
many economic and cultural interactions between the two countries.
If you learn French under the curriculum of the Faculty of Economics, then you will be able to pass the second
level of the APEF French proficiency test or DELF B1. Many Keio students participate in exchange programs
and study at partner universities in French speaking countries. Of course, you can start studying French right
now while you are here in Japan.
Chinese
China has become the world’s second largest economy in terms of GDP, and the country now occupies an
important position within the world economy. China has also been promoting the construction of its own
economic sphere. Furthermore, China has demonstrated tremendous progress in creating its own independent
economic infrastructure, and is also making breakthroughs in financial technology (fintech). At the same time,
there have been escalating trade frictions between the US and China as well as criticisms of China’s political
system accompanying the country’s growing presence in various spheres around the world. Nevertheless, after
the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, various problems in the global economy and society have surfaced,
and during a period which is likely to herald transformations in conventional systems and values, it is thought
that China will maintain a constant and ongoing presence. The question of how to engage with China is set to
become increasingly important for Japan, with the two countries having shared strong cultural ties since ancient
times and maintaining a close relationship both economically and geographically. Learning Chinese is not
confined to studying a language, but will also involve encounters with Chinese culture and society. Deepening
one’s knowledge of this country’s unique set of values through studying the Chinese language can be regarded
as beneficial both in terms of learning and researching the economy and economics, which will tie into a future
career, and in further strengthening mutual understanding between Japan and China.
Chinese is a type of “isolating” language, which is classified differently to Japanese (agglutinative) and English
(inflectional). As an isolating language, Chinese has no declension or conjugation and its grammar is
comparatively simple. If one can overcome the challenge of pronouncing tones, consonants, and vowels that are
not used in Japanese, reading Chinese newspapers with the help of a dictionary or speaking everyday
conversational Chinese will be within reach after two years of study at Hiyoshi Campus. Although at the
intermediate and advanced level there is the distinct problem of contextual understanding, this is something for
third- and fourth-year students to look forward to. In addition, there are various exchange programs available
throughout the Chinese speaking world not only at mainland institutions such as Peking University and Fudan
University (Shanghai), but also at the National Taiwan University, University of Hong Kong, and National
University of Singapore.
We hope that through making use of the Chinese language, everyone will not merely limit themselves to Japan
but develop into persons of talent active both in Asia and across the globe, and we are committed to offering our
full support to ensure this will happen.
In principle, students who can speak or have studied Chinese are not permitted to register for this course.
Spanish
Spanish is an official language in twenty countries around the world, including Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and
Cuba. Since information about these countries is not readily available in everyday life in Japan, you may not feel
very familiar with the Spanish language. However, more than 400 years ago, there was a Spanish presence in
Japan before our country's long policy of seclusion. The Spanish missionary Francisco Xavier arrived in 1549
in Kagoshima and stayed for two years in Japan; later on, two official missions from Japan to Spain in 1582 and
1613 helped to build a long history of interactions and friendship between these two countries. Mexico not only
has a similar long relation with Japan, but also is in the transpacific region, together with other Spanish-speaking
countries such as Peru and Chile. This region is expected to experience more economic exchanges and growth
in the near future. Thus, the knowledge of Spanish and Hispanic culture will be very useful as Japan builds
stronger partnerships with these countries.
Today, the number of Spanish native speakers - about 500 million - is second only to that of Chinese. Spanish is
spoken not only in Spain and Latin America, but also in Equatorial Guinea and Western Sahara in Africa, and
in part of the Philippines. The United States also has approximately 40 million Spanish speakers, and Spanish is
used on a daily basis in all parts of the U.S, including New York, California, Texas and Florida. Spanish is also
one of the six official languages of the United Nations; therefore, it will surely be a powerful tool in international
relations and business in the future. More than that, by learning a foreign language, you learn the culture and
history of people who speak the language as well. The world of Spanish is multifaceted, so studying Spanish
will enrich your life. You may be able to read some information about your favorite soccer team in Spanish. Or,
you may become interested in learning flamenco in Spain, tango in Argentina or salsa in the Caribbean. Or
perhaps you will be fascinated by an indigenous village in the heart of Mexico. Your world will open up in
many ways.
We welcome students who want to explore a new world. See you in September!