PUPILS are to be given the chance to learn Japanese as part of a drive to make British business more competitive.

In Leigh older students are already -- thanks to a course introduced three years ago at Wigan and Leigh College.

People were this week signing up to sample Japanese culture and language on a 10 week course starting this month at the Railway Road campus.

Latin is also scheduled to be making a comeback in some schools from September, but in both cases the lessons aimed at 11-14 year olds will be on computer.

Ministers believe that tomorrow's adults must learn more languages to help the economy.

The growth of Japanese owned firms in the UK has already prompted courses, while Latin provides a good learning base for other languages. I'm sure my Latin mistress at Leigh Girls' Grammar School, Mrs Adams, will be delighted that her subject is being raised from the dead. I was brilliant at it only for the first year, but my ability to pick up other languages was nil, and still is, to my shame. My total recollection of Latin is conjugating amo amas amat (I love etc) and mitto mittis mittit (can't remember what it means, but it sounded a bit rude) and minime vero (no indeed)! Some good that's done me.