The process of globalization and the mobility of human resources pose new tasks and challenges towards the foreign language education in theoretical and practical aspect nowadays. It focuses on the development of competences outside the classroom that help smooth interactions and co-existence between members in multicultural societies. The aim of the present paper is to: 1) Introduce to the reader some of the methods used in teaching Japanese language as a second language in higher education institutions in Japan; 2) Focus on contemporary methods that meet the requirements of the process of globalization.