A team of Japanese language education specialists from Japan made an evaluation of the University's Japanese language program; conducted a survey on the state of Japanese language teaching by NGOs and cooperative groups in the Pacific Islands region; interviewed relevant authorities regarding government policies on language education, the state of distance education, and so on; and produced a report based on a study of relevant documentary records. These records included reports from the last three years of the University of the South Pacific (USP) project, reports on another Japanese language program administered by the Japan Foundation, and other studies relating to the University.
The evaluation team also conducted interviews in Japan with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, youth groups for international cooperation, and the Japan Foundation, as well as with Pacific Islander students studying in Japan and with members of the Japan-Micronesia Association. In a second field survey, they visited USP's main campus in Fiji, its branch centers in Tonga, Western Samoa and Vanuatu, and the Australian National University in Canberra; studied the actual conditions of the main USP program; interviewed the vice-president and relevant faculty members of the USP; interviewed officials of relevant Japanese embassies and missions; studied general school education in various Pacific countries; and examined projects carried out by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.