The Tokyo Bay area is being lined up as the setting for the 2020 Olympic Games’ English Village ©Getty Images

The Tokyo Bay area is being lined up as the setting for the 2020 Olympic Games’ English Village, where young students will aim to brush up on the language ahead of the event.

The Metropolitan Government’s Advisory Panel has submitted a report to its Board of Education providing further details on the planned facility, reports Japanese national newspaper the Asahi Shimbun.

The Board of Education is considering setting it up near Tokyo Bay as that is where facilities for the 2020 Games, including the Olympic Village in the Harumi area and competition venues, will be concentrated.

According to the report, the current candidate site in the area is a building in Koto ward, which refers to itself as Kōtō City in English.

It is hoped the English Village will be established by 2018, allowing students from the fifth grade through to high school acquire practical English skills before the Olympics and Paralympics. 

Attending through schools or on an individual basis, they would be immersed in an English-only environment, according to the report.

Foreign students in Japan would be hired as instructors at the facility, as well as Japanese students majoring in English.

The English Village is likely to be opened near the site of the Olympic Village in the Harumi area
The English Village is likely to be opened near the site of the Olympic Village in the Harumi area ©Getty Images

The Metropolitan Government says one particular issue to overcome is establishing how the facility can work in tandem with regular schools where students are already receiving education in English.

Last month, the Japanese Government launched an online survey to canvass public opinion on preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Due to feature on Yahoo! JAPAN’s polling website until Monday (November 9), the survey asks users what they think the Government should focus on in the build-up to the Games.

Respondents are asked to choose one item from 13 options, including anti-terrorist and cybersecurity measures, increased support for athletes to help them win medals, and improvements in transportation systems.

The Government plans to draw up basic policies this month aimed at ensuring a successful Games, which Olympics Minister Toshiaki Endo promised will be created based on feedback from the survey, accessible here.



Related stories
November 2015: Hackers cause Tokyo 2020 website to crash
November 2015: Cookson hints that Tokyo 2020 cycling will be moved to Izu
October 2015: Japanese Government launches online survey on Tokyo 2020 preparations
October 2015: Exclusive: Tokyo 2020 could use temporary canoe slalom venue, claims Estanguet
October 2015: Tokyo 2020 adds security companies SECOM and ALSOK to Official Partners list