Bhubaneswar, Oct. 29: Utkal University has started its ambitious project in Japanese language training. Kazumi Endo, consulate-general of Japan in Calcutta, today formally inaugurated the pilot project.

The project will be implemented by the anthropology department, which will train students of the university in the language free of cost. The students joining the language training will also be provided help to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, held in July every year.

"Looking at the demand for the subject, the varsity will later decide its viability and whether it could be started in a self-financing mode form the next academic year," said Kishore K Basa, the director of self-financing courses at Utkal University.

A group of 15 MPhil and PhD students are already being trained in the language free of cost. As of now, Prasanna Patra of Utkal University and Naveen Panda of Delhi University are conducting classes.

Pratibha Behera, who has taken up the Japanese course, said: "I was always interested in learning a different language. I aim to find better job opportunity with this new language skill."

"Knowing a foreign language gives you a glimpse of their culture and history. I am finding it very interesting," said Vineet Rath, another student.

The higher education department had last year announced to open a foreign language learning centre on the campus. While the project has started with Japanese, the varsity also plans to introduce languages such as French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian in the first phase.

Considering that Odisha has many Buddhist sites that draw tourists from Japan, the language course will be of immense help from the tourism point of view.