The American Association of  Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) is an international, non-profit, non-political organization of teachers, scholars, and students of Japanese language, literature, and linguistics, which works to promote study of the Japanese language at all levels of instruction in the field and to broaden and deepen knowledge and appreciation of Japan and its culture.

AATJ sponsors an annual spring conference in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS)and serves as the Japanese-language co-sponsor of the annual November conference of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). It publishes the internationally recognized research journal Japanese Language and Literature twice each year and the AATJ Newsletter four times annually.

In recent years, with the importance of Japan in the world economy and the worldwide influence of its media and popular culture, the importance of study of Japanese language, literature, and culture has been increasingly recognized. As more schools, colleges, and universities offer programs of study in these areas, the AATJ has assumed an increasingly important role through its conventions, its services and activities in public affairs, its involvement in policy decisions, and its advocacy at the national, state, and local level.

There are at present approximately 1200 members of AATJ, representing every state as well as Canada, Australia, Europe, and Japan, and every level of instruction and area of study. Members have opportunities to be involved not only at the national level but also at the local level through membership in the regional or state affiliate of their choice. To find out about becoming a member, click here. For more information on local affiliates, click here.

AATJ's ongoing projects include professional development for teachers, research and discussion of Japanese-language teaching methods and materials, support for the AP Japanese Language and Culture Program and other new initiatives for students, and evaluating textbooks and other teaching materials. To find out what's new and see our reviews of teaching materials, go to Professional Development.

As part of a multi-organizational effort to encourage more students to study in Japan during their college years, AATJ has established a clearinghouse to collect and distribute information on study-abroad programs in North America and international student programs at Japanese universities. It also administers the Bridging Scholarship program, which has supported almost 1,200 students studying abroad in Japan since 1999. For more information on this project, click on Study Abroad.

Teachers of Japanese will want to visit AATJ's Jobline, with up-to-date announcements of positions in the Japan studies field.

For other sites related to Japanese education, culture, and language, go to Japan Information.