Applications for Japanese-language test close early amid surging demand

TOKYO - Applications for certain levels of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, widely used as a requirement for foreign nationals' employment or study in Japan, have closed ahead of schedule, the organizer disclosed Monday, highlighting a surge in demand that has outpaced available test capacity.

The Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, which administers the tests in the country twice a year, said it halted applications early after struggling to secure enough venues to accommodate a sharp rise in test takers, raising concerns that many prospective applicants have been shut out.