1 Introduction

African civilization is of great significance to human civilization. In the "the Belt and Road" initiative and the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, it is vital for China to strengthen its African research and exchange capabilities. Japan has a long history in teaching African languages and cultivating "African literacy", such as Osaka University's contributions to African language research and African studies journals. Japan's aid to Africa and African language education have promoted the growth of the number of African students studying abroad. Swahili holds an important position in East African countries, and Japanese companies' investment and economic cooperation in Africa are constantly strengthening. This article aims to analyze the current situation of Swahili language teaching and research in Japanese universities and African studies, providing reference for Chinese African language teaching and research.

2 Perspectives on Country and Regional Studies

As a hot academic topic in China, there are different views on the definition, name usage, and research scope of country and regional studies. Zhao Kejin proposed that "Country and Regional Studies" is a multidisciplinary research system, while Li Chenyang and Zhao Kejin believe that "Country and Regional Studies" is a standardized name. The research scope should be limited to humanities and social sciences, including specific national languages, literature, translation, and international organization research. Country and regional studies have three characteristics: cross regional, cross-cultural comparison, and interdisciplinary research. This article will analyze the situation of non lingua franca teaching and research in Japanese universities from three aspects: curriculum, teaching and research resources, and faculty, providing inspiration for China to strengthen its non communicative capabilities.

3 Swahili language courses offered by Japanese universities

Four universities in Japan offer courses related to Swahili, with Osaka University having the highest number of courses, reaching 47. Osaka University is the only university in Japan that offers Swahili language as a major, and its Swahili language program is under the Department of Foreign Languages, with a history dating back to 1964. The Swahili language courses in Japanese universities have cross regional and interdisciplinary characteristics, covering linguistics, literature, as well as cultural, political, and social fields. In terms of course format, there are many seminar classes with strong interactivity, emphasizing students' enthusiasm and autonomy. In terms of course classification, in addition to professional courses, there are also general course selection and three others, with a lower threshold. The course content includes interesting elements that attract students to learn.

4 Swahili Language Teaching and Research Resources ①

The Swahili language teaching and research resources in Japanese universities have cross-cultural and interdisciplinary characteristics, providing multidimensional perspectives on African studies through academic journals and online resources. Academic journals such as "Swahili and African Studies" from the Department of Foreign Languages at Hankyu University and "Asian African Language and Culture Studies" from Toho University cover fields such as language, sociology, and political science, aiming to construct a hologram of Africa. Online resources such as Osaka University's "High Level Foreign Language Education Self Study Content" and Toho University's "Swahili Spoken Language Corpus" provide learners with free primary language education and corpora, promoting the popularization and research of non universal languages.

Characteristics of Swahili language teaching staff: highly mobile interdisciplinary and cross-cultural scholars

By analyzing the information of Swahili language course teachers in four Japanese universities, two major characteristics of Swahili language teachers in Japanese universities were revealed: interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research background, and high mobility. Among the 12 teachers, 6 specialize in African linguistics, while the remaining 6 come from different fields such as literature, society, and culture, demonstrating obvious interdisciplinary characteristics. At the same time, there is strong teacher mobility, with 4 teachers belonging to different units and teaching units, and 6 non university permanent faculty members, such as external lecturers, accounting for half of the total. This high mobility is beneficial for expanding the reach of Swahili language teaching, but it also leads to a lack of stable research environment and economic conditions for teachers.

6 Exploration and Inspiration

In terms of Swahili language teaching and African studies, Japanese universities focus on combining language teaching with a comprehensive understanding of the East African region in their curriculum, emphasizing cross regional and interdisciplinary characteristics. The course content is rich and the threshold is low, stimulating students' interest. In terms of teaching and research resources, a cross-cultural research platform is built based on academic journals, and online resources are fully open. In terms of teaching staff, teachers have national and regional research backgrounds and on-site inspection experience, and have high teacher mobility. Chinese universities have made progress in African language teaching and research, but there are still problems such as insufficient language mastery and inadequate integration of disciplinary theories. China should learn from Japan's experience and promote the combination of African language teaching and research with national and regional studies, including steadily advancing language teaching, encouraging field investigations, exploring the integration of disciplinary theories, building online resource platforms, and increasing interesting courses.

7 Conclusion

In recent years, the level of national and regional research in China has significantly improved, but there are also problems such as emphasizing language over culture and lacking systematicity. The article analyzes the current situation of Swahili language teaching and research in Japanese universities, including cross regional courses, academic platforms, and faculty mobility. China can learn from Japan's experience to enhance the social science theoretical accumulation and interdisciplinary abilities of African non communication teachers, in order to promote the integration of non communication language teaching with national and regional research, and contribute to the construction of a hologram of African research.