Fukui: Myanmar Trainees Take Online Classes about Local Dialect; Also Other Details of Daily Life in Region

The Yomiuri Shimbun

10:36 JST, February 15, 2025

FUKUI — The Fukui prefectural government is offering online classes about the culture and dialect of its area, for people from Myanmar who will come to the prefecture as care workers.

The classes are meant to promote smooth communication between the Myanmar nationals, who will work in Japan as technical intern trainees, and elderly people and others at nursing care homes.

On Jan. 14, a presenter from a local TV station explained Fukui dialect during an online class. When he said a talkative person is called “shaberi bachi” in Fukui dialect, people attending the class in Myanmar repeated the expression in strong voices.

Twelve classes are held, lasting 90 minutes each, over a period of about six months. Participants also learn about the geography and climate of Fukui Prefecture.

In addition, they study local rules concerning garbage disposal and how to use public transportation and financial institutions’ ATMs.

The classes started one year ago, and the first group of 13 people who completed the course began their training at nursing care facilities in the prefecture in October. The second group of trainees is expected to come to Japan as early as this spring.

Competition for personnel from Southeast Asian nations is intensifying worldwide. The prefecture hopes to give itself an advantage by promoting the classes and other forms of support.

It’s been four years since a coup was launched by Myanmar’s military. A woman from Myanmar who has been working at a nursing home in Fukui City since October said she wouldn’t have come to Japan if there had been no coup.

“Nursing home staff and other people around me have kindly instructed me. I want to stay in Japan for many years,” the woman said.