Liu Yong, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at Musashino University, said several hundred students at the university have chosen Chinese as a required course.

Many students initially learned Chinese language just to find a broader career platform, but through the process, they not only learned Chinese language, but also learned about Chinese culture, Liu said.

By participating in such programs as tourism and study tour to China, the students became more and more fond of China and increasingly active in learning Chinese.

Currently, about 400 universities in Japan offer Chinese language courses, according to Hu Zhiping, minister counselor for education of the Chinese Embassy in Japan. Some universities have set up Confucius Institutes, which not only provide a better platform for the Japanese to learn Chinese, but also make great contributions to training Japanese teachers, developing Chinese teaching materials and promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Apart from university education, many Japanese are participating in activities such as Chinese Corner.