Department of Japanese

Japanese language instruction at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) began in the early 1960s, making HIT one of the first universities in China to offer such courses. The undergraduate program in Japanese was formally established in 2000 and enrolled its first students in 2001. In June 2006, the Department of Japanese was founded to oversee the undergraduate major, Japanese-language courses for Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) students, and elective Japanese courses for all students across the university. In 2020, the program was recognized as a Provincial First-Class Undergraduate Program.

The department’s six full-time faculty members include one associate professor and five lecturers, two of whom hold doctoral degrees. All faculty have spent at least a year studying or conducting research in Japan. With support from the China Scholarship Council and HIT’s Internationalization Fund, they have served as visiting scholars at prestigious institutions like the University of Tokyo, Osaka University, Nagoya University, and Ochanomizu University. The department also hosts a native Japanese-speaking instructor.

The program has a long-standing emphasis on international cooperation and exchange, guaranteeing all students an opportunity to study abroad at renowned Japanese universities such as Nagoya University and Sophia University. The department has also established overseas internship and thesis-writing centers in Japan, including at WISDOM International Academy and the Kyushu Institute of Foreign Languages. These centers provide students with invaluable opportunities to enhance their professional skills, immerse themselves in Japanese culture, and cultivate a global perspective. Additionally, two to three students are selected annually for a one-year domestic exchange at a C9 League university.

Graduates who receive recommendation-based admission to graduate programs are consistently accepted into China’s top institutions, including Nankai University, Wuhan University, and Beijing Foreign Studies University.

The Japanese program is committed to developing well-rounded graduates with strong ethical principles, intellectual and professional competence, and a deep sense of humanistic literacy. Students are instilled with a sense of national commitment, global awareness, innovative spirit, and social responsibility. Graduates possess a solid foundation in the Japanese language, systematic knowledge of Japanese linguistics and literature, and a broad understanding of the humanities and sciences. They demonstrate outstanding integrated language proficiency, cross-cultural communication skills, and critical thinking abilities, preparing them to be elite Japanese-language professionals. This training enables them to effectively communicate Chinese culture and perspectives and to excel in careers in diplomacy, education, science and technology, and economics.

Aligned with its vision of fostering interdisciplinary talent, the program requires not only core Japanese-language courses but also foundational courses in natural sciences, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science. While majoring in Japanese, students can pursue a second degree in engineering, management, or the humanities. This interdisciplinary approach enhances students’ versatility and significantly broadens their career prospects.