Global Challenges
What this unit covers
The topics below follow the published Japanese Lang course framework for Unit 6. Japanese Lang publishes no per-unit weighting, so there is no percentage to chase here.
Lessons in this unit
- Giving Reasons with から and ので13 min · 3 objectivesUse から to state a reason or cause · Use ので for a softer, more objective reason · Attach から and ので correctly to verbs, adjectives, and nouns
- Expressing Opinions & Structuring an Argument14 min · 3 objectivesState opinions with 〜と思います and report speech with 〜と言いました · Use sequencing and contrast connectors to organize an argument · Build a short persuasive paragraph on a global issue
Every term in Unit 6
All 22 terms we publish for Global Challenges, with definitions. Reading them through is the fastest way to find the ones you cannot define — then drill those in cram mode until you can produce them without the prompt.
- 環境問題 (かんきょうもんだい)
- Environmental problems. 地球温暖化 global warming, 大気汚染 air pollution, 温室効果ガス greenhouse gases.
- ごみ問題 (もんだい)
- Waste. 分別 sorting, リサイクル, 資源ごみ recyclable waste. Japanese municipal sorting rules are famously detailed — a very concrete example.
- 自然災害 (しぜんさいがい)
- Natural disaster. 地震 earthquake, 津波 tsunami, 台風 typhoon, 防災 disaster prevention, 避難訓練 evacuation drill.
- 東日本大震災
- The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, with the tsunami and the Fukushima accident. Precise and central to modern policy discussion.
- 少子高齢化 (しょうしこうれいか)
- Declining birthrate with an aging population. Japan's defining demographic challenge and the most useful single compound in this theme.
- 人口減少 (じんこうげんしょう)
- Population decline. 過疎 depopulation of rural areas, 限界集落 a village where over half the residents are elderly.
- 貧困 (ひんこん)
- Poverty. 格差 disparity, 経済格差 economic inequality, 子どもの貧困 child poverty.
- 移民 (いみん) と外国人労働者
- Immigrants and foreign workers. Japan's labor shortage has driven policy change since 2019 — a current and specific example.
- ジェンダー平等 (びょうどう)
- Gender equality. 男女平等, 女性の社会進出 women's advancement in society. Japan's low ranking on international gender gap indices is a standard data point.
- 平和 (へいわ)
- Peace. 憲法第九条 Article 9 of the constitution renounces war; 広島 and 長崎 and 原爆 the atomic bombings. Handle with care and precision.
- 人権 (じんけん)
- Human rights. 差別 discrimination, 平等 equality, 多様性 diversity.
- 教育の機会
- Educational opportunity. 教育格差 educational disparity, 奨学金 scholarship or student loan.
- 食料問題 (しょくりょうもんだい)
- Food issues. 食品ロス food waste, 自給率 self-sufficiency rate — Japan's calorie-based rate is among the lowest of developed countries.
- 国際協力 (こくさいきょうりょく)
- International cooperation. 国連 the UN, ODA official development assistance, NGO, 支援する to support.
- 〜べきだ / 〜なければならない
- べきだ expresses what ought to be done as a judgment; なければならない expresses necessity or obligation. Essays about policy need both.
- 〜に対して / 〜について / 〜に関して
- に対して toward or against a target; について about a topic; に関して concerning, more formal. Choosing wrong changes the relation, not just the register.
- 〜として
- As, in the capacity of: 学生として、私は〜と思います。A compact way to establish a standpoint.
- 〜わけではない / 〜とは限らない
- Partial negation: it is not that…, not necessarily…. Essential for writing a nuanced argument rather than an absolute one.
- Essay structure
- 序論 introduction with your position, 本論 body with evidence from all three sources, 結論 conclusion. Announce the position early.
- Connectives for argument
- まず、次に、さらに、最後に; しかし、一方、それに対して; したがって、そのため。Written register throughout.
- Concede then rebut
- 確かに〜。しかし、〜。Acknowledging the counterargument before answering it is expected and is rewarded.
- Presentation timing
- Cultural presentation: two minutes. Roughly twenty seconds of introduction, eighty of concrete detail and comparison, twenty of conclusion. Running out of material early costs more than finishing slightly late.
What examiners penalize here
- In persuasive writing and speaking, explicitly signaling cause with から／ので makes your argument easy to follow. Combine with 〜なければなりません (must) or 〜べきだ (should) to state a reasoned recommendation on a global issue — a structure graders reward for coherence.
- On the presentational writing task, open paragraphs with clear connectors (まず／しかし／だから) and close with an explicit opinion using 〜と思います or 〜べきだと思います. Graders reward a visible position plus organized support far more than isolated advanced vocabulary.
Practice Japanese Lang
Our practice bank is drawn from across the whole course rather than filtered to one unit, which is closer to how the exam asks anyway — it will not tell you which unit a question is testing.
Questions about this unit
How much of the AP Japanese Language & Culture exam is Unit 6?
The Japanese Lang course framework does not publish a per-unit weighting, so there is no percentage to quote for Unit 6 and anyone who gives you one is guessing. Spread your time by where your own errors are instead.
What topics are covered in Japanese Lang Unit 6?
Global Challenges covers Environment, Society, Economy and Health. We publish 22 terms with definitions for this unit, all of them on this page.
How should I study Japanese Lang Unit 6?
Read the 2 lessons below first — about 25 minutes — then drill the 22 terms in cram mode until you can produce each definition from memory rather than just recognize it. Recognition is what makes a unit feel finished when it is not. Finish with practice questions and read the explanation for every one you get right by elimination as well as the ones you miss.
All 6 units of AP Japanese Language & Culture
Unit names, topics and exam weights follow the published College Board course framework for AP Japanese Language & Culture. AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which does not endorse this site.