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Society
Nov 23, 2025 08:00 (JST)
Tokyo, Nov. 23 (Jiji Press)–International Sign is used as the official language at the ongoing Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics as a tool for communication with deaf people from various countries, but it is not well known in Japan and there is a shortage of interpreters.
Ryoji Miura, 37, who supports the sporting event as an interpreter, said, “I hope that people will discover the joy (of using International Sign) through the Tokyo event and that the number of learners will grow.”
According to the Japan International Sign Language Interpreters & Guides Association (JIIGA) and others, International Sign is used for the Deaflympics and other events because sign languages, like spoken languages, differ from country to country.
International Sign employs simple and easy-to-understand expressions. For example, “Thank you” is expressed by a motion like a kiss throw. Meanwhile, in Japanese Sign Language, it is expressed as a movement similar to that used by sumo wrestlers when they receive prize money on the ring.
Takeshi Sunada, 64, who heads the association, said that International Sign is “still not well known in Japan, and there is no related qualification.”
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
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