Mrs Tanaka receives commendation from the Japanese government
1 December 2008
In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the relationship between Japan and the UK, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the London Japanese Embassy will confer the Foreign Minister’s Certificate of Commendation to Mrs Kazumi Tanaka, Senior Lector in Japanese at SOAS. Mrs Tanaka was one of nine individuals recognized for making significant contributions to the improvement of bilateral relations between Japan and the UK.
Mrs Tanaka was recognized for “her contribution in promoting Japanese language teaching both in the UK and Europe. She was also the core founder of the British Association of Teaching Japanese.”
Mrs Tanaka has been a pioneer in the development of Japanese language teaching in Britain. She has been a teacher and teacher-trainer at SOAS, assisting in the development of teaching materials and the School’s language programme. She has been involved in teaching of Japanese at school level, and she also chaired the Association of Japanese Language Teachers in Europe. She founded the British Association for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language (BATJ) in 1998. She has established herself as one of the most respected Japanese language teachers in Britain.
The SOAS Languages and Cultures Faculty and the Japan section feel very honoured to work with such a distinguished colleague and offer their warmest congratulations.
