History of IAY

IAY is a pioneer of language education in Sapporo and has a 45-year history.

We directly invited several tens of foreign instructors around the world to train interpreters as support for the Sapporo Winter Olympics held in 1972. We saw many instructors having difficulties in a different culture that they have never experienced. Then, we started Japanese language teaching and the introduction of Japanese culture and customs to support their daily life. This is origin of Japanese language education of IAY.
Since then, internationalization has rapidly progressed with the growth of the Japanese economy, and the number of foreigners living in Sapporo has also increased. In response to this, we have provided livelihood support as well as business support for foreigners by offering Japanese language education requested by government agencies, companies or individuals.

IAY also has foreign language courses where Japanese people are studying foreign languages, and international students can interact with Japanese people there.
We will continue to make an effort to create a society for coexistence with foreigners through Japanese language and foreign language education so that people around the world can deepen their mutual understanding.

1969	IAY was founded for the purpose of language education and international exchange.
1972	IAY received a letter of appreciation from the Olympic Organizing Committee and the Hokkaido Prefectural Police headquarters regarding training for interpreters and translation and interpretation services during the Sapporo Winter Olympics. An overseas study program centering on home-stay experiences in the sister city of Portland, Oregon in the United States started.
1984	IAY invited foreign correspondents living in Japan to a forum titled “Journey to Different Cultures”
1987	IAY became a sister school of the Japanese Cultural Society in Singapore (JCS).
1989	IAY participated in the establishment of the “Japan Association for the Promotion of Foreign Language Education (JAPFLE)” that aims for sound promotion and quality improvement of foreign language education. A home-stay program started in Canada with the cooperation of the Alberta government.
1990	IAY was certified as an official Japanese language school, in which Japanese language education is provided to foreigners, by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education. IAY was approved to accept foreign students with a pre-college student visa.
1995	In commemoration of 15-years of a sister city partnership, IAY concluded an agreement with Shenyang City of China to take in students from Shenyang City who want to learn Japanese language and to dispatch Japanese-language teachers to the city.
1997	IAY dispatched Japanese-language teachers to the Shenyang Yucai School, the Liaoning University and JCS.
1998	The Hokkaido Government entrusted IAY to provide Japanese language and culture education for 90 Assistant Language Teachers (ALT) who are dispatched to municipal education boards to conduct English classes in which children could get familiar with English and deepen global understanding.
2002	“Japanese language courses (short-term)” for foreigners were opened. Foreigners from Europe, the United States and Asia as well as those living in Japan studied Japanese language in IAY.
2008	In the Career Development Program for Foreign Students from Asia which aims to support excellent foreign students in finding jobs and is sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, IAY offered “business language classes” as a cooperative institute for consortiums based in the Hokkaido area. As a support for employment, IAY also provided Japanese language education for students of Hokkaido University Graduate School of Engineering who want to work at a Japanese company.
2009	As part of a support for foreigners living in Japan, IAY undertook two projects sponsored by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs “Japanese Classes for Foreign Resident Parents & Guardians Raising Children” and “Beginners’ Course for Learning the Technique for Teaching Japanese Language” for entering the co-existence era, were held.
2011	IAY offered “Summer Intensive Classes for Learning the Technique for Teaching English to Children Effectively” for Japanese English teachers at elementary schools to prepare for introducing English education in elementary schools.
2013	IAY was entrusted to provide Japanese language and cultural experience to people from the four northern islands on a non-visa trip.
2014	It was IAY’s 45th anniversary.

Associations and organizations that IAY is part of currently

○Japan Association for the Promotion of Foreign Language Education

The association was founded as Japan’s first association with the aim of sound promotion of foreign language education. Affiliated language schools manage their school based fairly on the JAPFLE guidelines and ethical codes, and are devoted to foster true internationally-minded people. You can enter IAY without anxiety.