Mobile Learning in Japan: Why the Future has Already Arrived in Asia

Although many people around the world think of m-Learning as a program with a “promising future,” we have found that in Japan, m-Learning already has a rich and vibrant history. Many companies, schools, organizations, and individuals are successfully implementing mobile learning solutions now. In this article, we present ten real-world cases that show how m-Learning is progressing there.

To many people around the world, it won’t be a surprise to learn that Japan is a global leader in m-Learning. A plethora of electronic gadgets populates the Japanese landscape. Most Japanese phones are already extremely advanced and run many different kinds of applications and services, including music, games, television, email, Web page viewing, GPS/navigation, megapixel photography, and learning. Mobile phone wallets are now common, and with them, the Japanese purchase drinks from vending machines and pay train fares. (See Figure 1) Already, we see that over 60% of Japan’s mobile phones are using 3G (third generation) or higher telecommunications technology.

Figure 1 Paying a train fare with a mobile phone

Practically 100% of college students and working adults in Japan own a mobile phone, while only about 50% of all households have Internet-capable PCs according to the Japan Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications,

Statistics Bureau, Survey of Household Economy, conducted in 2006. Mobile phone-based m-Learning is a compelling platform for targeting young adults in Japan, a fact that many Japanese universities and companies realize and respond to in their recruitment and training.

This is already a boon to many application developers and content providers. But the availability of high tech handhelds does not mean that the Japanese use all or even most of the technology. In fact, nearly all surveys in Japan show that, of the many advanced capabilities available in Japanese mobile phones, the most commonly used are email, photography, Web page viewing, games, and, increasingly, music.

Why, then, are both the supply and the demand for m-Learning in Japan increasing?

The dominant forces driving m-Learning adoption in Japan are not technology-related, but social and historical factors. More importantly, these factors are also likely to influence adoption and use in the West.

Among these key drivers, the most significant is the declining birthrate and the resultant aging population. Schools and companies compete vigorously for the declining number of young candidates. Pressures and incentives to build flexible learning organizations will continue to drive learning to technology that captures the attention, imagination, and interest of target audiences. The need to motivate the children and young adults of the twenty-first century will be the greatest driver of m-Learning.

In addition, a combination of forces continues to drive people to higher density metropolitan areas. This uneven distribution increases pressures to build nontraditional school and workplace systems. Finally, increasing energy prices and greater reliance on public transit and telecommuting will advance ubiquitous training, learning, and productivity enhancing systems.

Many m-Learning projects, programs, and products point to the potential profits and pitfalls of this challenging future. These ten case studies of m-Learning in Japan are only a handful of those we have examined the past few years, and especially during the past six months. Due to time and space constraints, we were unable to include case studies from Korea, Taiwan, and China, where many similar and original m-Learning programs are appearing.

Brain Training and Adult Learning Toys

Nintendo’s highly successful “Nowo Kitaeru Otonano DS Toreningu” (“DS Brain Training for Adults” [DSBTA]), has led a giant wave of m-Learning games in Japan. These games may be the biggest evidence that m-Learning has advanced from extrinsic to mainstream.

(Editor’s Note: For readers who aren’t up on handheld game technology, “DS” refers to the Nintendo DS, a handheld game console released in 2004. “DS” stands for both “Dual Screen” and “Developers’ System.” In June 2006, Nintendo released the DS Lite, a redesigned model.)

Of course, puzzles and mind games have existed for thousands of years. Not surprisingly, they have been popular with PC, television, and mobile game developers. Electronic versions of crossword puzzles have also been around for many years; Sudoku has rapidly become popular on game handsets and mobile phones, and the Japanese toy conglomerate Takara Tomy produces a dedicated portable Sudoku device.

Other brain-training games feature quizzes, brainteasers, and other activities. DSBTA challenges the player’s speed and accuracy in a variety of activities, including memorization, arithmetic, logic puzzles, and reading. The developers believe that these games stimulate the brain and maintain its health and “youth,” delaying or even preventing dementia and senility.

At the Tokyo International Toy Show 2006 in July, Japan’s biggest trade show for toys and games, the hottest products were those that claimed to have brain training and “healing” functions. Both categories of toy products target Japanese adults, particularly the Baby Boomer generation who start to retire en masse in 2007.

This phenomenon is revolutionary in that these applications and software are driving former technology agnostics to purchase hardware that would otherwise be unfamiliar and undesirable. In a classic case of the tail wagging the dog, brain-training games may well force the dog to grow many new tails. Since these new users are unlikely to turn into hardcore gamers, it is likely that hardware vendors will need to forge partnerships with application developers to create more games featuring puzzles and brain stimulating activities, as well as games that offer the chance for relaxation and peace of mind.

Bizcom-Japan: TOEIC® Test Ketai Master

Bizcom has been an m-Learning trailblazer in Japan since its founding in 1998, offering solutions for a

broad range of corporate and educational clients.

One of Bizcom’s most successful implementations of m-Learning and its showcase application is the TOEIC® Test Keitai Master (TTKM). TOEIC is the Test of English for International Communication, taken by 4.5 million people a year, with a large percentage of that number in East Asia. The service provides users with a full range of study services, including drills, assessments, communication features, multimedia elements, games, and downloadable applications. Since its first release in 2000, TTKM has not only been Bizcom’s core offering, but by implementing the most innovative features, TTKM has become Bizcom’s primary marketing tool. 

Four features of the system are significant for the way in which they enhance m-Learning and business acceptance of this new channel for learning.

First, there is perhaps no other deployment of mobile phone-based m-Learning worldwide that employs video technology as extensively as TTKM. Although in TTKM “video” uses just a still image and audio to test listening comprehension, the technology itself is capable of full audio and video. (See Figure 2) Using iMotion since 2005, Bizcom has implemented 40-second video simulations for a Japanese mobile carrier’s business-manners training for new employees.

Figure 2 Video in TTKM

Second, Bizcom not only uses the spiral approach in TTKM to master grammar and word comprehension, but also employs this same regimen of drills and assessments in a broad range of compliance training. It provides clients with analysis not only of each student’s demonstrated knowledge, but also the organization’s overall compliance aptitude. By showing a statistical performance report for its entire workforce, Bizcom provides the client with insight to the training program’s ROI. (See Figure 3)

Figure 3 Corporate Compliance Assessment Chart

Third, Bizcom’s use of community features is particularly prominent. Bizcom nearly always provides clients with a program discussion board, encouraging them to share information and study tips as they would in real-world classes. In corporate projects, communications services have included mentored forums, allowing the companies to offer m-Learning that more closely parallels offline training programs.

Fourth, TTKM uniquely deploys user-scheduled messages to serve both as a lesson reminder and as a motivational tool. The system sends messages to the user’s mobile phone with a link to the study site. Even though there is no pressure on the user to attend a scheduled class as in the real world, this arrangement psychologically reinforces the user, much as when she sets her own alarm clock.

Link and Motivation

Link and Motivation (LMI) is a Japanese consulting company that focuses on the boosting of employee motivation. Among its core services is assisting clients to recruit employees who already exhibit higher motivation and better work disposition, and who demonstrate a higher potential for success.

One of LMI’s new-employee training programs is a two- or three-day program called Darwin. Darwin does not attempt to fill the heads of new recruits with loads of information about company products and rules, but instead encourages them to START: Say, Think, Action, Role-play, and Target, i.e., to provide them with some general rules they can use to guide themselves in work situations.

This April, LMI tested an m-Learning program with their own recruits, designed to extend retention of the core Darwin concepts beyond the initial face-to-face study. Their assumption was that if employees used mobile phones to access a knowledge base and contribute work experiences that showcased core concepts of the training program, then the recruits could meaningfully extend their on-the-job training.

The program has been largely successful, using a unique blend of daily business insights, a two-quizper-day ritual, and a forum for the recruits to post their own stories about how they were able to apply Darwin concepts on the job. In addition, this year LMI deployed the same pilot program for one of its clients, a Tokyo travel agency called ST World, and is planning expansion of the program.

One of the program’s key components was a point system rewarding employees who log in each day, correctly answer the quiz questions, and post stories deemed beneficial by the HRD implementation team. The recruits who accumulated the highest points through the program received prizes, worth approximately $1000 for first place, $500 for second, and $300 for third.

The program lead, Yosuke Kano, indicated in an interview that incentives were invaluable for getting the recruits to buy into the program. He said, “Although it is easy to get people to participate actively in training when they are in the same room, it is more difficult otherwise. Getting them to start is the key. Once they start to use it regularly, they tend to find their own motivation for study, that is, they see real benefits without incentives. But the prizes really help to push people over the edge at the beginning.”

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