Japanese Students' Perceptions of Soft Skills : Teaching Professional Skills & CLIL

This short paper explores Japanese university students’perceptions of the soft skills necessary for international business. It begins with definitions and a discussion on how and why Professional Skills should be taught in universities in Japan, arguing for the cautious introduction of CLIL for business students. The content of a Professional Skills course ― a key feature of which is the awareness-raising of soft skills ― is explained and defined. This is followed by the results of a qualitative analysis of students’ perceptions of the necessity of soft skills for international business in Japan. The paper concludes with a discussion of professional skills, soft skills, and CLIL in the Japanese university context before providing recommendations for the future of such programs.