This paper tackles approaches to teaching Japanese as a foreign language. The work starts with an overview of the essential characteristics of the Japanese language and continues with research on several teaching approaches and their methods from the 16th century to the present day , as follows: Formalistic approach, Direct method approach, Structural approach, Communicative approach, Affective Humanistic Approach and Flipped classroom approach. A historical overview of teaching Japanese in Croatia is also outlined and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) and the JF Standard guidelines as well as the Croatian curriculum for foreign languages. In addition, there is an example of Japanese language workshop for parents, written preparation of a Japanese lesson as well as samples of didactic materials. The result of the research concludes that the Japanese language is specific in its teaching approaches. As yet there is no definitive answer as to how the CEFRL and JF Standard guidelines will affect the future inclusion of the Japanese language as a primary or secondary school curriculum subject.