But officials stressed that the requirement, if implemented, is not aimed at excluding foreigners who do not know Japanese, as language ability would be considered along with other conditions.

Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura, who announced on Tuesday that mid-level officials of the foreign and justice ministries would soon hold joint discussions on the issue, gave few details.

'For foreign residents, a good command of Japanese is important for raising their own standards of living, as well as a necessity from the perspective of Japanese society,' he stressed.

The minister seemed to be aware that any language conditions could eventually affect the issuing of visas to foreign workers wanting to come to Japan.

'There are both positive and negative aspects. We will examine them. We should do what we have to do, but we should also not go too far,' he told reporters.

At present, only foreigners wishing to study here need to have a certain level of Japanese proficiency to qualify for student visas.

Applications for work visas do not carry any language requirements.

A Foreign Ministry official told The Straits Times that Mr Koumura's announcement should not be cause for alarm.

The official stressed that details have yet to be discussed, including how to assess Japanese- language skills during the visa-issuing process, and there was no certainty that the language requirement would be implemented.

Even within the government, there seems to be no consensus yet.

A Justice Ministry official was reported as saying that the language requirement, if implemented, should not be universally applied.

'If we require all foreigners to have Japanese-language ability, there is a possibility that some talented foreign workers may not be able to come to Japan,' he said.

The latest move is the direct result of a report issued in December 2006 by an inter-ministerial committee on issues involving non-Japanese, which suggested that language skills should be assessed when issuing and renewing visas.

The committee also discussed the growing social problems posed especially by Brazilian and other Latin American workers of Japanese descent that stem from their lack of Japanese-language skills.

Many of the children of these workers, who are employed as manual labour in the automotive and other industries, do not attend school, and their parents are unable to use administrative services because they cannot speak Japanese.

Foreign workers of Japanese descent are allowed to come here under ancestry visa permits even if they are unskilled.

Although officials declined to confirm it, the proposed language requirement seems to be aimed essentially at such Latin American workers.

Said Professor Takashi Miyajima of Hosei University, an expert on Japan's immigration policies: 'The biggest problem at present is with such workers. Many do not know Japanese but have settled down in Japan in large numbers, contributing to an increasing crime rate, and their children cannot fit into Japanese schools.'

To introduce a language requirement would mean a drastic change in government policy.

Prof Miyajima pointed out that it was 'unreasonable' for the government to impose a language requirement on all foreigners.

'Most foreign workers in Japan work in English. To require them all to speak Japanese is a closed-door policy,' he said.

He pointed out that if the policy went ahead, foreigners who did not know Japanese might decide to go to other countries instead.

wengkin@sph.com.sg