Supported "Why learn a New Language" Hosei Tokyo

"Why Learn a New Language? Insights from Learners of Japanese in Hong Kong and Beyond" was held at the Global Lounge in Ichigaya Campus, Hosei University.

Kazuyuki Nomura opened with research grounded in fieldwork with Hong Kong learners of Japanese, introducing the idea that motivation can be understood as emotional distance management — a fresh lens on why learners persist, pause, or step away from a language.

Discussants Noriko Ishihara and Maël Pouget brought rich cross-disciplinary perspectives and shared interesting personal experiences, opening up the conversation into territory we wished we had more time to explore — intercultural experience, context, identity and many more.

The audience brought meaningful questions to the floor, and the discussion didn't stop when the session did.

Sincere thanks to Dr Kazuyuki Nomura, discussants Dr Noriko Ishihara and Dr Maël Pouget, and our moderator Jason H.C. Cheung, as well as our co-host Global Education Center of Hosei University and supporting organisations — HKU Japanese Studies Programme, CUHK Department of Japanese Studies, HKUBS Alumni Network Japan, HKUST Alumni Network in Japan, and Commonverse — for their partnership in bringing this session to life.