As had been discussed throughout the course of this series of articles that had been looking at Japan literacy in Australia and the level of Japan literacy that exist among members of the general Australian populace (and in particular the level of Japan literacy that had existed among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system, whether the educational institution in question had been located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system), the various relationships that had existed between Australia and Japan (whether the relationship in question had been diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people in nature) has been the among the most important relationships that Australia has with Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories, and that in this regard, an argument could be made that when it comes to both the development, as well as the maintenance, of the various relationships that had existed between Australia and Japan, a high level of Japan literacy among members of the general Australian populace – and in particular among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system – is often required. In recent decades, governments that had been located across all three levels of the Australian political system (and in particular governments that had been located at both the state and federal levels of the Australian political system, and whether it is the centre-left Australian Labor Party or the centre-right Liberal Party that is in power at either, or both, of these levels of the Australian political system), as well as industry groups (both within, as well as outside, the Australian education system) had released various policy papers and white papers that had been aimed at increasing the level of Asia literacy that had existed among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system in order to better prepare students for both the challenges, as well as the opportunities, that had been presented by the “Asian Century” and the rise of Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories, with the most important of these key documents being the Australia in the Asian Century white paper that was released by the Australian Federal Government in October 2012.

As had been discussed in the third article in this series of articles that looked at both the teaching, as well as the study, of Japan and the Japanese language at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question had been located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system), in recent decades, much of the emphasis that had been paid by governments that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system had been to the development of Asia literacy among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system in order to better prepare students for both the challenges, as well as the opportunities, that had been presented by the “Asian Century” and the rise of Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories. When it came to the development of Asia literacy among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of Asia literacy among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system the Australia in the Asian Century white paper identified four Asian languages other than English as ‘priority’ Asian languages other than English that students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system would be encouraged to undertake study in in order to better prepared for both the challenges, as well as the opportunities, that had been presented by the “Asian Century” and the rise of Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories, of which the Japanese language was one of the four Asian languages other than English that had been identified as a ‘priority’ Asian language other than English that students who were undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system were encouraged to undertake study in.

In the previous article in this series of articles, there was a discussion on the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Japan (and, more generally, the level, depth, and quality of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories), and how the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Japan (and Asia more generally) that exist among members of the general Australian populace, but also the image that members of the general Australian populace has of Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories. And when it came to the various relationships that had existed between Australia and Japan, an argument could be made that the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had emanated from Japan in large sections of the Australian media ecosystem (whether the media outlet in question had been part of the so-called “mainstream media” or had been part of the so-called “alternative media”) can have ramifications for the image that members of the general Australian populace has of Japan, and in particular the image that members of the general Australian populace has of the various relationships that had existed between Australia and Japan.

However, despite the importance of the various relationships that had existed between Australia and Japan (whether the relationship that had existed between Australia and Japan in question had been diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people in nature) to both Australia and Japan, in recent years, much like the decline in the number of academic programs that had specialised in both the teaching, as well as the study, of Japan and the Japanese language (as well as, more generally, the decline in the number of academic programs that specialised in both the teaching, as well as the study, of Asia and Asian languages other than English, and in particular the teaching and the study of the four Asian languages other than English that had been identified as ‘priority’ Asian languages other than English in the Australia in the Asian Century white paper), in recent years, there had been a gradual decline in the level, depth, and quality of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Japan (and, in general, a gradual decline in the level, depth, and quality of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories) in large sections of the Australian media ecosystem (whether the media outlet in question had been part of the so-called “mainstream media” or had been part of the so-called “alternative media”), and that an argument could be made that this decline in the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Japan in large sections of the Australian media ecosystem (whether the media outlet in question had been part of the so-called “mainstream media” or had been part of the so-called “alternative media”) has had an impact on how members of the general Australian populace views Japan, and this in turn can have an impact on how members of the general Australian populace views the Japanese people. It has often been argued that the various media outlets that makes up the wider Australian media ecosystem (whether the media outlet in question had been part of the so-called “mainstream media” or had been part of the so-called “alternative media”) often serves as the people’s window on the outside world, a role that became more important during the coronavirus pandemic, which saw governments around the world close their national borders (as well as imposing restrictions on internal movements) in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and that the various media outlets that makes up the wider Australian media ecosystem had often used the coronavirus pandemic as a pretext to close bureaus in key cities throughout Asia and that these closures of bureaus that had been located throughout Asia has led to a decline in the level of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories, and this had especially been the case when it comes to the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Japan in large sections of the Australian media ecosystem.

When it comes to the development of the various relationships that had existed between Australia and Japan (whether the relationship in question had been diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people in nature), having a high level of Japan literacy among members of the general Australian populace (and in particular the level of Japan literacy that exist among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system, whether the educational institution in question had been located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system) is important for the development of the various relationships that has existed between Australia and Japan, and that when it comes to the development of Japan literacy among members of the general Australian populace, the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Japan in large sections of the Australian media ecosystem (whether the media outlet in question had been part of the so-called “mainstream media” or had been part of the so-called “alternative media”), this can influence the level of Japan literacy that exist among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of Japan literacy that exist among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system. However, in recent years, there had been a decline in the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Japan in large sections of the Australian media ecosystem (whether the media outlet in question had been part of the so-called “mainstream media” or had been part of the so-called “alternative media”) and that an argument could be made that the decline in the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Japan in large sections of the Australian media ecosystem has had negative ramifications for the image that members of the general Australian populace has of Japan and the Japanese people, and this has especially been the case when it comes to the various relationships that had existed between Australia and Japan, which will be the main focus of attention in this fifth article in this series of articles that is looking at Japan literacy in Australia and the level of Japan literacy that exist among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of Japan literacy that exist among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system, and this is largely due to the importance of the various relationships that had existed between Australia and Japan (whether the relationship that had existed between Australia and Japan in question had been diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people in nature).

You can view the entire article on my website at bhiskins.wordpress.com/2026/09…