With over 125 million speakers across the globe, Japanese is one of the world s most widely-spoken languages. Most major universities, and even many primary and secondary schools, offer courses in Japanese. International interest in learning Japanese has been strong for decades, as Japan is an important economic, political, and business partner to many countries.

Now updated in a second edition, this popular instruction guide with 2 audio CDs is ideal for both individual and classroom use. The book includes twenty-five carefully-paced lessons, updated with modern text and phrases in the revised Hepburn system of romaji; dialogues with easy-to-follow grammatical explanations; and sidebars which high vocabulary, cultural information, and useful tips for travelers and business people.Also included are an introduction to the Hiragana and Katakana writing systems; a Japanese-English/English-Japanese glossary; and 2 companion audio CDs that complement the dialogue and vocabulary sections of each lesson, helping the reader to understand the language as spoken.

Joanne Redmond works as a communications manager for the world's largest technology company. She previously served for many years as a personnel relocation consultant for Japanese businesses in the U.S. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area.