The Beginning of the Japanese Language Education in the Ottoman Empire

Abstract

Although the Ottomans found no need to master East Asian languages until  modern  times,  the  first  Japanese-language  curriculum  was  organized  at  the Ottoman Military Academy in 1891-1892, following the 1890 “tragedy of the Ot- toman frigate which led to Japanese visiting Istanbul. In January 1891, two Japanese battleships came to send back 69 survivors of the tragedy. The Ottoman Empire requested  that  they  provide  someone  to  remain  in  Istanbul  to  provide  Japanese- language education at the Ottoman Military Academy. Eventually Shôtarô Noda, a staff journalist fir Jiji Shinpô, accepted the Ottoman request to be lecturer of Japanese language for two years. After a short stay the other Japanese, Torajirô Yamada, returned to Japan; Noda also decided to go home in December 1893. The Ottoman Empire did not ask him to locate a successor in Japan. It is possible that the Ottoman Empire did not find Japanese-language education to be of any importance for any academic institution.