Manila: Easy Japanese is gaining attention as an effective approach to deliver crucial information to foreigners residing in Japan, particularly during emergencies like the recent powerful earthquake that shook the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto.

According to Philippines News Agency, a survey targeting foreigners living in Tokyo revealed that 41.3 percent prefer receiving information in easy Japanese, surpassing the 35.9 percent who seek information in English. Nobuko Inoue from the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation Tsunagari, which conducted the survey, explained that the diversity of nationalities among foreigners in Japan has increased, leading to fewer English speakers.

The foundation emphasizes that easy Japanese should avoid complex expressions such as onomatopoeia, mimetic words, foreign-adopted terms, and ambiguous phrases. Instead, it should utilize short and clear sentences. For instance, "kyanseru" can be replaced with "yameru," and "moraeru" can substitute "teikyo-suru."

In Kumamoto, where Southeast Asian nationals like Vietnamese and Indonesians form a significant portion of the foreign population, the local government prioritizes easy Japanese over English for disseminating information. An official from Kumamoto's international affairs division highlighted the necessity of this approach due to the limited number of English speakers.

Following the 7.1-magnitude earthquake on July 29, WizTry, an IT company in Kumamoto, launched a website (https://kumamoto-shien.jp/) to provide essential information to those affected, including an easy Japanese page for foreign residents (https://kumamoto-shien.jp/yasashii). The page offers straightforward messages such as "Mizu wo kubaru basho ga arimasu. Okane wa irimasen," indicating locations for free water distribution.

WizTry President Kotaro Suematsu expressed hope that their easy Japanese page will support foreigners who often miss out on vital information.