Jan 28

CLAIR Magazine “JET Plaza” series: Matthew Fuller (Aichi)

Article/Journalism, Japan Local, LifeAfterJET, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on CLAIR Magazine “JET Plaza” series: Matthew Fuller (Aichi)

Each month, current and former JET participants are featured in the “JET Plaza” section of the CLAIR Forum magazine. The December 2011 edition includes an article by JET alumn Matthew Fuller. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.

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“Often, you are the only foreigner that people will ever get to know, and so you are truly an Ambassador to Japan from the outside world – and that’s a powerful platform.”

Matthew Fuller (Aichi-ken, Toyota-shi, 1997-99) is originally from Austin, Texas. He came to Japan on the JET Programme and lived and taught in the rural village of Shimoyama which later merged to be part of Toyota City in Aichi Prefecture. After a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of the University of Texas, he joined the US Department of State. Matthew Gardner Fuller is currently the special assistant to the US Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos in Tokyo where he has served since 2009. 

What was one the most positive aspects of your experience on the JET Programme?

One of the best things for me was the lifelong connections I made with the people in my community. What started out as sharing an occasional drink with some people in Shimoyama, ended up growing into long-term friendships. In fact, one of the friends I made during my time on JET has continued to keep in touch with me by calling every month to chat. He even continued to check in on me while I was on assignment in Baghdad. It’s these connections that really made my time on JET special. And these ongoing connections have provided numerous opportunities to go back and visit Shimoyama. For example, I was recently invited to and attended the wedding of a former student. I also had the chance to accompany Ambassador Roos to Shimoyama to help provide a firsthand look at the long-lasting grassroots exchange that the JET Programme is capable of fostering.

Could you tell us a little bit more about your visit to Shimoyama with Ambassador Roos?

He had heard a lot about the JET Programme and had asked a lot of questions about my experience. Then, in November 2010, when we had a business trip to Nagoya and Toyota, I suggested that we take an extra few hours to visit Shimoyama to show him exactly what I experienced. So, on a Sunday morning we visited the junior high school where I was an ALT. They were holding their bunkasai and both the Ambassador and I gave short remarks. We toured the village and visited the house where I lived and met my former neighbors. We had a nice lunch with many of the friends and former teachers that I knew. The Ambassador understood the strength of the connections made there a dozen years earlier, and often talks about the visit to Shimoyama in his meetings whenever the JET Programme is discussed.

What kind of role do you think JET Programme participants can play in terms of maintaining and improving relations between Japan and the United States?

JETs are really “ambassadors” for their country and are in a great position to create grassroots level relationships that will carry through to long-term strengthening of US-Japan relations. And former JETs, regardless of what field they end up going into, have tremendous potential to serve as soft power assets for improving international relations. Diplomacy is no exception. At the US Embassy here in Tokyo and in our consulates across Japan we have about twenty staff members who are former JETs. Furthermore, in the aftermath of the 3.11 disaster, we had a number of former JETs who are now Foreign Service Officers all over the world return to Japan as volunteers to help out with operations. For example, the number of Japanese students studying abroad in the United States is declining sharply. We believe this is a dangerous trend for the future of US-Japan relations when fewer business leaders, academics, public servants, and politicians have the deep connections with the United States that living and studying there bring. But JETs are well positioned to help reverse that trend by talking to Japanese students about their experiences and encouraging them to consider going to the United States.

What did you do after the JET Programme and how did that lead to your current career?

After JET, I traveled around the region for about six months before returning to graduate school for a degree in Public Affairs at the LBJ School at the University of Texas. By that point, and directly related to my experience on the JET Programme, I had a great interest in international affairs and went to work with the UN in Geneva for a year, followed by a year and a half in Baghdad with the US Department of Defense, finally landing at the State Department in 2004. Because I had Japanese language skills, I was assigned to the Embassy in Tokyo in 2009.

How do you view your time on the JET Programme in the context of your career?

I entered the JET Programme immediately following university. I was simply interested in travel and work abroad. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do in the future. Working within a municipal government helped direct my interest to studying government policy at graduate school. Exploring Japan and the rest of the Asia-Pacific led me to want to learn more about the impact of public policy decisions on the lives of people. Participation on the programme also allows you to gain a valuable perspective and intercultural understanding that is difficult to get otherwise. That perspective and experience has been a great asset to me as a Foreign Service Officer. In particular, the programme prepares you to be a representative of your own country and culture while working and living as a minority in a completely different culture, which was excellent preparation for the Foreign Service.

Have you used the skills you gained on JET in your career?

Definitely. The intercultural, language, and in some cases survival skills have all helped. You learn to operate in another culture, think on your feet, and work as part of a team. Of course, now that I have returned to Japan, the lifestyle is certainly different as a diplomat, but the skills you need to succeed here are the same. In my view, the JET Programme is essentially investing in young leaders who go back into the world as business people, investors, doctors, lawyers, diplomats, and professors and have a deep understanding and respect for Japan. That is a direct contribution to international relations, and in our case specifically, to the US-Japan relationship, which we believe is critical to the stability of this region.

How do you think the JET Programme could be further promoted?

The JET Programme offers a lot of benefits than the alternatives do not. Most importantly, JET offers deeper and ongoing connections with host communities. Domestic promotional efforts focusing on these positive differences could encourage more communities to utilize the programme.

Do you have any suggestions for current JETs?

I think the most important thing is take the opportunity to get out and actively become a member of your community. Once you have developed relationships with the people there, work hard to maintain them even after returning home. Also, harness your ability to encourage people, especially young students, to engage in exchange programs and go overseas. Often, you are the only foreigner that people will ever get to know, and so you are truly an Ambassador to Japan from the outside world – and that’s a powerful platform.