The Global MBA at Doshisha Business School, Kyoto, is a young, growing, high-quality and globally orientated program that builds upon the existing and highly regarded Japanese language MBAs. We welcome applications from highly motivated individuals seeking to develop internationally orientated careers in the global economy. As a former JET myself I consider the GMBA an excellent option for those looking to gain an MBA and to develop careers in international business and management. The Global MBA will equip you will the knowledge, skills, network and intellectual framework expected and required of twenty-first century global businesspeople. Our first JET alumnus will be joining us as a GMBA student in September and we look forward to further applications from JETs.
Find out more
If you are interested in finding out more about our program I strongly recommend that you visit our webpage, http://gmba.doshisha.ac.jp/ , where you can find more details about course content and structure, video interviews with faculty and students, online business seminars and much more.
Provisional applications
We welcome provisional applications from potential candidates as an initial step towards the formal application process. Simply submit your CV/resume and a personal statement outlining your motivation for applying to the Global MBA by email at your earliest convenience. These documents will be reviewed by faculty members who will pass on their comments within a week. This is an opportunity for potential candidates to confirm their eligibility and suitability for the program. There is no cost for this provisional application.
Funding opportunities
I should also like to draw your attention to the generous funding opportunities that we are offering for 2010 entry including two full MEXT scholarships (full fee waiver, monthly stipend and return flights) and a range of monthly stipends. Full details can be found on our webpage but please be aware that only applications received by the March 31st deadline can be considered for this funding.
Visit us
If you are in or near Kyoto, why not call in and see us? We are delighted to meet with applicants and to show them around our facilities. During normal teaching periods we are also more than happy to introduce you to current students and faculty. Please contact the office directly should you wish to arrange a visit.
Any questions?
Feel free to contact us at anytime should you have any questions or queries related to the course and the applications process.
Finally
As a JET alumnus I can fully appreciate what it means to be contemplating the end of your time on the program and what your next step will be. The Global MBA offers an excellent bridge to your future career and will equip you will the knowledge, skills, network and intellectual framework expected and required of twenty-first century global businesspeople. I look forward to receiving your application.
With best wishes,
Dr. A. Staples
Global MBA
Doshisha Business School
astaples@mail.doshisha.ac.jp
Via JETAA DC President Michelle Spezzacatena:
Mansfield Fellowship in Japan
Federal employees with a strong career interest in issues of importance to the U.S.-Japan relationship now have the opportunity to apply for a Mike Mansfield Fellowship.
During the two-year program, Fellows spend a year working full-time in Japanese government offices, preceded by a year of full-time rigorous language and area studies training in the United States. After completing the program, Fellows return to their U.S. agencies with proficiency in Japanese and practical, firsthand experience with Japan and its government that enables them to contribute to their agencies’ Japan-related work.
For more information about the Fellowships, information sessions in Washington, D.C., and application guidelines, please visit www.mansfieldfdn.org or contact Ms. Sara Seavey, Program Assistant, Mansfield Fellowship Program at 202-347-1994 or sseavey@mansfieldfdn.org.
Application deadline: April 1, 2010.
The Mansfield Fellowship Program is administered by The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, as grantor.
Thanks to JETAA NY Webmaster Lee-Sean Huang for passing this on:
The latest from JET alum Michael Auslin, a professor of Japanese history and politics and currently the Director of Japanese Studies for the American Enterprise Institute in D.C. This one part of The AEI Outlook Series.
The U.S.-Japan Alliance: Relic of a By-gone Era?
http://www.aei.org/outlook/100929
by JET alum Michael Auslin
The U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation was signed in Washington, D.C., fifty years ago this month. Few alliances last half a century. The fact that this one has is a testament to its strength, but it is also the result of East Asia’s failure to develop stable political and security relationships in the decades after World War II. It also reflects Japan’s postwar political realities and the choices successive Japanese governments made to maintain the country’s largely pacifist global role. Yet, the pressures on the alliance today raise questions about how well it can adapt to changes inside Japan, the United States, and throughout Asia. If the alliance is to survive, how should it change to best serve the evolving national interests of Japan and the United States?
Key points in this Outlook:
* The U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation has helped maintain peace in Asia for the past fifty years.
* Security-related issues regarding North Korea’s nuclear-weapons program and China’s growing military raise important political questions for the future of the alliance.
* Today, the Obama and Hatoyama administrations must decide if they view the alliance as a key element in their security strategies or as an outdated relic of a bygone era.
To read the whole paper, go here: http://www.aei.org/outlook/100929
Jonathan Golub, Esq. (Saitama-ken, 1996-97)
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For JetWit readers working in law or financial services, you may be interested to know that attorney Jonathan Golub (Saitama-ken, 1996-97) was a major contributor to a recent article on the topic of hedge funds and a proposed law that would require many hedge fund managers to register with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).
Jonathan is a senior financial services associate at Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP. He advises investment advisers on a wide variety of matters including private investment fund formation and compliance with securities and commodities regulations.
Here are two videos of Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, from a keynote speech he gave at the University of Missouri in St. Louis back in October.
In the first, he talks about the connection between manga and anime and traditional Japanese line-based aesthetics–or what Takashi Murakami now calls “Superflat”:
And in the second video, he discusses the fundamental differences between American visual iconography and Japanese sensibilities, with a reference to Pokemon in America and McDonald’s in Japan:
JET alum and technical writer David Kowalsky has a nice book review on the book Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods in the latest edition of Sound Views, the newsletter for the Puget Sound Chapter of the Society for Technical Writers.
Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/3hix5A.
Have a look and feel free to share your thoughts on Twitter as well. Also, you can follow JetWit via Twitter at http://twitter.com/jetwit.
Two positions, one part time and one full time, at Marlboro College that were passed to Adam Hempling (Nagano-ken, 2000-02) by a colleague of his at Smith College:
JOB #1: Adjunct instructor for Japanese Aesthetics Course
Marlboro College, a liberal arts institution of 330 students and 39 faculty, invites applications for an adjunct instructor to teach a course on Japanese aesthetics during the spring term 2010. The course would serve as part of the academic preparation for a group of Marlboro students and faculty going to Japan at the conclusion of the spring semester to pursue several research projects on performance, photography, poetry, and contemporary Buddhist practice.
The course should address the theory of Japanese aesthetics as well as their expression in traditional and contemporary cultural forms across different media (dance, theater, literature, painting, photography, etc.). The course would be offered for two credits (rather than the usual four), and would likely meet only once per week.
Please send a cover letter including ideas for the course, C.V., and the names of two references to: Margaret Hunt, assistant to the Dean of Faculty, Marlboro College, PO Box A, Marlboro, VT 05344 EOE
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JOB #2: Freeman Foundation Undergraduate Asian Studies Initiative II
Staff Support Position
9/10/09 Read More
Via Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999), Assistant Director at the Donald Keene Center on Japanese Culture at Columbia University. To get on their e-mail list for future events, send an e-mail to donald-keene-center at columbia dot edu.
1. “Translation and its Postcolonial Discontents: Controversy over Toma Seita’s Reading of Kim Soun’s Japanese Translation of Korean Poetry in Postwar Japan”
October 14th, 2009 (Wednesday) 5:30-7:00 PM; Serk-bae Suh (University of California-Irvine); Location: 403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. and Amsterdam Avenue) http://www.keenecenter.org/content/view/100/126/#oct14
2. “What Will Be Almost Permanently Lost in Translation? A Cognitive Linguistic View”
November 5th, 2009 (Thursday) 4:00-5:30 PM; Seiichi Makino (Princeton University); Location: 569 Lerner Hall, Columbia University (114th St. and Broadway) http://www.keenecenter.org/content/view/100/126/#nov
From the JETAASC newsletter:
WEN CHAO CHEN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EAST ASIAN STUDIES
Application deadline is January 15, 2010. Fellowships begin June 1, 2010, and conclude May 31, 2011. For further information and application materials please visit Next Generation Fellowship:
http://nbr.org/about/nextgenfellowship.aspx
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JetWit knows that a lot of JET alums are interested in working in the fields of international education programs and student services, so we asked future international ed expert Pam Kavalam (Shiga-ken, 2007-09) to talk to some JET alums in the field and share her conversation for the benefit of the JET alumni community:
Spotlight on University Administration
by Pam Kavalam (Shiga-ken, 2007-09)
Are you looking for a career that can utilize some of the skills you learned over in Japan- cross-cultural exchange, working with students, and (for the truly lucky) the offer to travel again? Think about working at a university- either in international exchange or student affairs. I sat down with Shannan Spisak (Kawasaki-shi, 96-98) to talk about her experience from the JET Program to higher education administration.
Tell me about your journey into the field of international education.
Shannan: After I came back from JET, I moved to New York City with a friend and worked at a private Japanese company for 2 years. I decided to switch careers to move into the international arena; the United Nations in particular interested me. I went on a number of informational interviews with fellow former JETs working in the field and they all recommended graduate school. I decided to study Peace Education and International Exchange at Teachers College, Columbia University. In order to finance my education, I took a job working as Assistant to the President of Barnard College while attending classes part-time. During the process of completing my M.A., I realized I had grown more interested in the education component of my degree than its relation to UN work. Consequently, my focus shifted towards seeking a career in international exchange in higher education.
What do you do now?
Shannan: I work at the Institute of International Education (IIE) in the Global Scholarships Division. The IIE is a 90 year-old non-profit organization that runs over 200 programs around the world, including the Fulbright. I manage three international scholarship programs through the GE Foundation and the Chubb Insurance Foundation. I organize the review and selection of applications, notify finalists, award grants, and manage special components of the scholarships such as Leadership Development Seminars and Career Workshops. I also coordinate Read More
Hot of the JETAA DC yahoogroup, a really great JET-appropriate opportunity for JET alum academic and international relations types. FYI, JET alum Michael Auslin is a professor of Japanese history and politics and currently the Director of Japanese Studies for the American Enterprise Institute in D.C. See past JetWit posts about Michael Auslin here.
Japanese Studies:
An intern in this department will work under Resident Scholar Michael Auslin, head of AEI’s Japan Studies Program. Dr. Auslin is currently focusing on Japanese strategic thinking and security doctrine, as well as Asian maritime security issues.
Tasks include: researching, in Japanese and English, topics in Japan’s national security, maritime security issues, and Asia’s strategic security environment. The intern will also conduct research in support of publications and assist in the organization of AEI conferences and panel discussions. The ideal candidate for this position will have an interest in Japanese and Asian security affairs and reading ability in Japanese language.
All applications must be submitted online at www.aei.org/internships.
All applications must include a cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript, and short writing sample.
AEI internships are available to advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent graduates. A minimum of a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale is required. However, most successful candidates have at least a 3.5 GPA.
This internship is one of fifty offered by the American Enterprise Institute every semester. AEI’s internship program has repeatedly been named one of the top 100 internships in the nation. The work assigned to interns is highly substantive, consisting largely of academic research, conference attendance, and various other tasks in support of their particular department. Additionally, AEI internships offer a wealth of academically enriching opportunities, including access to our conferences and events; a series of policy lectures and career talks available exclusively to interns; and frequent intern happenings, informal gatherings providing the chance to interact with AEI’s prestigious staff.
If you have any questions, please contact Leslie.Forgach@ aei.org
Just found out that Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has a review of “Tears in the Darkness,” a capacious, brilliantly narrated account of the Bataan Death March in World War II, featuring interviews with Japanese, American and Filipino veterans/survivors — in this month’s issue of BOOKFORUM. Inhumanity, with novelistic intimacy…
Read the review here: http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/016_03/4339
Pam Kavalam (Shiga Prefecture, ‘07-’09) is planning on attending the NAFSA Regional Conference (http://www.region10.nafsa.org/Region%20X%20New/Conferences_Workshops/conf2009/index.htm) in Springfield, MA from November 2-5 and would like to connect to other JET alums who are interested in going.
NAFSA (www.nafsa.org) is the professional association for international higher education administration.
If you’re interested in, or already working inm study abroad, international student advising and recruitment or international education in general, this is the conference for you. It’s a great way to network within the Boston and New York areas, learn more about the field, and attend workshops that you can put on your resume.
Contact Pam for details about registration, transportation, hotel information, volunteering and costs.
Does anyone in the JetWit-a-sphere have any connections with administrations or faculty at any Japanese universities?
I ask because I know that there’s been a trend of Japanese universities trying to attract foreign students to study on their campuses. I think the reason is related to the declining population in Japan but I’m not sure.
Regardless, it seems to me that perhaps some of them would be interested in advertising on JetWit. JetWit has recently been getting over 400 hits per day and is used not just by JET alums all around the world but also by current JETs who are interested in getting a sense of what comes after JET. Simply put, there’s no other way to reach this many JETs and JET alums this efficiently.
So if anyone can put me in touch with appropriate people at some of these universities, or better yet, make them aware of JetWit and get them interested in sponsoring the site in some way, then that kind of help would be greatly appreciated.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,
Steven (Aichi-ken, 1992-94)
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Thanks to Dr. Andrew Staples (Fukuoka-ken, 1996-99) (whom we learned about thanks to Eleanor Robinson (CIR Aomori-ken, 1999-2002)), JetWit has learned of another JET alum in the world of academia:
Dr. Christopher P. Hood (Aichi-ken, 1993-94) is the Director of the Cardiff Japanese Studies Centre at with is part of the Cardiff Business School at Cardiff University in the U.K.
Chris’ website does a good job of describing his background and career path as well as listing his books and other publications. Hopefully it serves as a guide and perhaps inspiration for other JET alums as well:
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Having become interested in Japan while I was at Concord College, I went on to study Japanese Studies and Business Studies at the School of East Asian Studies (University of Sheffield). Then, after a year on the JET Programme, I returned to Sheffield to do a PhD. Since August 2000, I have been a lecturer at and the Director of the Cardiff Japanese Studies Centre, part of the Cardiff Business School at Cardiff University. I am also an Associate Fellow at Chatham House.
I have also been working on a number of other projects over the past few years. For example, I was the editor of The Politics of Modern Japan, a 4 volume collection of articles on Japanese politics, published in 2008. I was also co-editor, with Prof. G. Bownas and D. Powers, of Doing Business with the Japanese, published in 2003.
My research interests relating to Japan are broad, however the central themes are relating to identity and symbolism. My doctoral research and first book, Japanese Education Reform: Nakasone’s Legacy, were on education reforms in Japan and the influence of Prime Minister Nakasone.
My next project was on the shinkansen (‘bullet train’), looking at the ways in which it both reflects aspects of Japanese society and the ways in which it has influenced Japanese society. This book, Shinkansen – From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan, was published originally in 2006, with a paperback version published in 2007.
I am currently writing a book about the Japan Airlines flight JL123 crash in 1985. Although the book, Dealing with Disaster in Japan: Japanese and Global Responses to the Flight JL123 Crash, due to be published in 2011, will discuss the reasons for the crash, it will primarily be looking at what can be learnt about Japanese, and to some extent global, society by looking at what happened following the crash.
After this I am planning a book which will bring together my research to date as well as including some new material based on further fieldwork which has been ongoing for the past couple of years. This book will be looking at identity within Japan using several topics (education, attitudes to city mergers, attitudes to natural and man-made disasters, and attitudes to the development of the shinkansen network) as case studies.
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To learn more about Chris and his publications, go to the following links:
- Chris’ website: http://www.hood-online.co.uk/index.php
- Chris’ books and other publications: http://www.hood-online.co.uk/publications/
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You may have read recently about Eleanor Robinson (CIR Aomori-ken, 1999-2002) and her work with the new Doshisha Global MBA Program which begins in September. Thanks to Eleanor, we’ve also learned about another JET alum, Dr. Andrew Staples (Fukuoka-ken, 1996-99), who is a Special Visiting Professor at Doshisha Business School with a number of published writings that should be of interest to the JET alumni community.
Here’s more about Andrew and his career path so far:
JetWit: We understand your work has been published. Can you tell us what and where?
Andrew: I’ve published a few times with Palgrave in the Asian Business Series including the chapter in the new textbook (we are in the process of making PowerPoint slides to accompany the book, which has been selling well), a chapter in an edited volume titled Emerging Multiplicity, and my own single authored text published last year, Responses to Regionalism, which was based on my PhD thesis.
Publications by Andrew Staples:
- Asian Business and Management: Theory, Practice and Perspectives (see chapter 4)
- Responses to Regionalism in East Asia – Chapter titled “Japanese Production Networks in the Automotive Sector”
- Emerging Multiplicity – Integration and Responsiveness in Asian Business Development
JetWit: What was your path from JET to academics?
A: I was an ALT for two years in a senior high in Fukuoka prefecture before becoming the ALT prefectural coordinator in Fukuoka City for the final year. After JET I enrolled at the School of East Asian Studies (SEAS), University of Sheffield, U.K. to study for an MSc in East Asian Business (1999-2000). I funded this, by the way, with my pension and tax refund and a bit of university English teaching here and there, which is something other JETs could consider doing. Read More
Starting in September, Doshisha University in Kyoto will begin offering its Global MBA Program through its Graduate School of Business at Doshisha University in Kyoto. And JET alum Eleanor Robinson (CIR Aomori-ken, 1999-2002) is actively involved in the administration of the program.
After leaving the JET Programme in 2002, Eleanor Robinson studied International Relations at Kyoto University with a focus on the history of Anglo-Japanese relations. She is still in the process of completing her PhD thesis while also currently working full-time as an administrator for the Graduate School of Business at Doshisha University in Kyoto. Her job is to translate documents, assist international students and a range of other tasks. Eleanor notes that all of the classes on the Global MBA will be in English with an “Asia focus” and the program has a student cohort of 23 people from all over the world.
Links:
- Doshisha’s Global MBA – http://gmba.doshisha.ac.jp/
- Eleanor’s blog about her research and other work at Doshisha University: http://eleanorinjapan.wordpress.com/
- JetWit Study Program Page (listing all graduate and other programs of study we know of that might be of interest to JETs and JET alums): http://jetwit.com/wordpress/graduate-school/
The latest from JET alum Michael Auslin, a professor of Japanese history and politics and currently the Director of Japanese Studies for the American Enterprise Institute in D.C.
Go to http://www.aei.org/event/100118 for full event details. Go here for more posts about Michael Auslin on JetWit.
Japan’s Election: Democratic Breakthrough?
AEI event, Wednesday, September 2, 2009
 Photo Courtesy of chinadaily.com |
On September 2, AEI’s Michael Auslin will moderate a panel discussing Japan’s August 30 general elections. If it wins, the Democratic Party of Japan will focus on reversing the country’s sharpest economic downturn since World War II, but it will also face numerous foreign policy challenges. The panel will include Kevin Maher, director of the Japan desk at the State Department, Len Schoppa of the University of Virginia, and Nick Szechenyi of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. [READ MORE]
JET alum Lars Martinson, author of the graphic novel Tonoharu: Part 1, is not only currently studying East Asian calligraphy in Ehime-ken, he wants to write a comic book about his experience. And he’s in the process of seeking funding to help make this happen.
If you’ve seen Tonoharu: Part 1, you know that “comic book” barely does justice to Lars’ sophisticated and detailed drawing style. And having won a Monbusho Scholarship to help him fund the production of Tonoharu: Part 1, Lars knows a thing or two about getting funding (as further demonstrated in a previous blog post titled “How to Apply for a Monbusho Scholarship“).
That said, it’s never easy getting funding and income as an artist/illustrator. (See, e.g., Lars’ recent post on adapting his drawing style for professional and practical purposes.) So if anyone can provide any assistance or leads to help Lars with funding, please feel free to get in touch with him at blog [at] larsmartinson [dot] com.
For information about Lars, you can read his blog at http://larsmartinson.com. You can also read a nice article about Lars from the Winter 2008 “Digital Media” Issue of the JETAA NY Newsletter, written by Alexei Esikoff (Fukushima-ken, 2001-02).
For those of you who weren’t able to catch Roland Kelts’ (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) interview with Hayo Miyazaki in Berkeley, CA on July 25, a “fanatically thorough transcript” of the full interview has been posted at the GhibliWorld site: http://www.ghibliworld.com/miyazaki_on_stage_conversation_berkeley_july_2009.html
Over the weekend we mentioned that Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, gave a talk for the students in the Keio Academy of New York Japanese-English Bilingual Summer Program in Purchase, NY in connection with a two-week Digital Media Creation program. (Additional speakers in the program include Michael Arias, director of “ANIMATRIX” and “Tekkonkinkreet,” Shoji Kawamuri, animation director and mechanical designer and Yuji Nunokawa, CEO of animation producer Pierrot Co., Ltd.)
Here are a couple nice photos from the event:
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This past Thursday evening, Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, gave a talk for the students in the Keio Academy of New York Japanese-English Bilingual Summer Program in Purchase, NY in connection with a two-week Digital Media Creation program.
Additional speakers in the program include Michael Arias, director of “ANIMATRIX” and “Tekkonkinkreet,” Shoji Kawamuri, animation director and mechanical designer and Yuji Nunokawa, CEO of animation producer Pierrot Co., Ltd.
A significant number of JET alumni are working in, or interested in working in, the field of international education programs, also sometimes referred to as student services. With that in mind, here’s a good written and radio piece from NPR’s Weekend Edition titled “Houston Community College Has Global Appeal.” The piece delves into a trend of community colleges reaching out to international students and even setting up school outposts in foreign countries, partly as a way to recruit.
For any JET alumni interested in getting into the field of international education programs, it’s worth being aware that there may be some great opportunities available at the small college level.
Can anyone recommend any scholarships (or organizations/institutions that are good sources of scholarships) that might appeal to JETs/JET alums in addition to the ones listed below? If so, please post in the comments section, or feel free to e-mail directly to jetwit [at] jetwit [dot] com. We’ll make a more complete list available after getting responses.
- Monbusho
- Monterey Institute
- McGill MBA
- JAIMS (Japan-America Institute of Management Science)
- Temple University Japan campus MBA
- JLGC summer in Japan
Update:
- Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships http://www.rotary.org (Thanks to Shannon Quinn, former JETAA Pacific Northwest President, former JETAA USA Country Rep and currently the ALT Advisor to MEXT in Tokyo.)
Update #2:
A few more scholarships, thanks to Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999), Associate Director at the Donald Keene Center on Japanese Culture at Columbia University.
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Japan Foundation — grants for Ph.D. studies, short-term research, Japan-related organizations who need funding for Arts & Culture or Japanese Studies projects:
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Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Translation Prize (administered through Columbia University’s Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture):
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Shicho Fellowship for Graduate Study in Japan (adminstered through Columbia University’s Donald Keene Center of Japanese of Japanese Culture; only open to Columbia U grad students):
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National Endowment for the Humanities (Fellowships: Advanced Social Science Research on Japan):
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Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (fellowship program, creative artists’ program, etc.):
Thanks to Noriko Furuhata, the JET Liason at the Consulate General of Japan in New York, for letting me know about another JET alum professor:
- David Leheny, Professor of Japanese Studies at Princeton University, who has two books published:
His info has been added to the JetWit Library in both the Academic as well as Authors/Books sections.
Here’s the latest from JET alum Michael Auslin, a professor of Japanese history and politics and currently the Director of Japanese Studies for the American Enterprise Institute in D.C.
- The Rise of China: Essays on the Future Competition – Edited by Gary J. Schmitt, with contributions from Michael Auslin, Dan Blumenthal, Ellen Bork, Nicholas Eberstadt, Robert Kagan, Schmitt, and Ashley J. Tellis; April 2009; Contributors to this volume challenge the prevailing benign view of China’s rise and analyze what the United States and its allies might do in the arenas of foreign and defense affairs to meet the challenges posed by China’s increased political, economic, and military power.
- Obama’s Hundred-Day Scorecard on Asia Policy
Japan
Grade: BOne step forward, two steps back. Secretary Clinton’s trip to Japan as the first stop on her diplomatic voyage was an important symbolic gesture to reassure Tokyo that Washington still values it as its key Asian ally and a proactive attempt to reengage Japan. However, the U.S. failure to make clear its commitment to defending Japanese territory prior to North Korea’s missile launch, compounded by its inability or unwillingness to secure a new resolution punishing Pyongyang’s provocation–the United States ultimately codrafted a presidential statement with the Chinese–left Japan feeling isolated. Furthermore, Tokyo and Washington face potentially troublesome days ahead fulfilling long-standing alliance agreements to restructure forces. Symbolic gestures will be no substitute for a firm working relationship built on shared interests.
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
When I was in Japan back in March, a topic that was on everyone’s minds (or at least those of my single friends) was 婚活 (konkatsu), 
the idea of pursuing a marriage partner in the same way you would look for a job. The flip side of the coin is the companion term 離活 (rikatsu), referring to rikon katsudou or similar efforts regarding divorce. In keeping with the times, new dramas this spring season revolve around these themes. In the interest of anthropological research as well as satisfying my Japanese drama addiction, I checked out 「婚カツ！」 and 「コンカツ・リカツ」 .
The former stars SMAP member Masahiro Nakai as Kuniki Amamiya, a 34-year old who Read More
Via JETAA Texoma (Chapter 9):
Dear Texoma JET Alumni:
The Consulate-General of Japan at Houston is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for a special Research Student Scholarship available only to past JET Program participants. Like ordinary Research Student Scholarships, this opportunity provides recipients with round-trip airfare to Japan, all tuition expenses, and a monthly allowance of 152,000 yen (approx. $1450) per month. The scholarship term will be one-and-a-half to two years, extendable if the recipient is accepted to a masters or PhD program.
To qualify, applicants must be previous JET participants, citizens of the United States, have been born on or after April 2, 1975, and should be in good health. Furthermore, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between April 1 and April 7 or between October 1 and October 7, 2010 and have intermediate or higher level Japanese ability. Proposed fields of study should be the same or related to a field applicants studied previously.
More details can be found at: http://www.houston.us.emb-japan.go.jp/en/culture/page11-2.htm. The deadline for applications is June 26, 2009, so please start your applications soon. Be sure to include your JET experience on your application. If you have any questions, please contact me at 713-652-2977 x2114 or jetcoord@cgjhou. org. This is a tremendous opportunity, so we hope many of you will apply.
MEXT Scholarships
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) sponsors Japanese Government Scholarships to enable aspiring foreign scholars from all over the world to study in Japan. To date, some 65,000 students from approximately 160 countries and regions around the world have studied in Japan under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship program established in 1954. As of May 1, 2005, there were 9,891 foreign students studying in Japan as Japanese government scholarship students. Japanese proficiency is not required at the time of application unless otherwise noted; however, scholarship recipients are required to take Japanese language classes in Japan.
Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles accepts application for Japanese government scholarships from candidates who are the U.S. public and reside or attend universities in Southern California and Arizona.
Applications for following Japanese government (Monbukagakusho) scholarships for 2010 are now available. Completed application must be accepted by June 8, 2009. Please note that applicants who have Japanese nationality at the time of application are not eligible.
JET Program Alumni are encouraged to apply to the Research Student Scholarship (there MAY be a scholarship available for alumni ONLY through this.)
For more information, please go to: http://www.la.us.emb-japan.go.jp/e_web/e_m05_18.htm
This article from today’s NY Times puts a positive spin on job searching in the current economic climate, pointing out how the lack of traditional Wall St. jobs for business school grads has in a sense given many of them “permission” to pursue other jobs, such as teaching, managing a jazz club, applying for the foreign service or going to rabbinical school when they might otherwise have felt pressured to go for a high-paying, high-status Wall Street job.
Dakedo, if you read between the lines, what this means is a more competitive job market for everyone including JET alums. Now, when you apply for the foreign service or Teach for America or anything else, you’re competing against MBA students and other highly-qualified people for these positions.
Sore de, it’s more important than ever to take a proactive approach to the notion of career and job search. The ground is shifting underneath us, which is scary, but also means there are new opportunities. It’s no longer enough to think of jobs as familiar fixed categories for which you send your resume and wait for a company or organization to “give” you a job. This is the time to look around, figure out what needs are out there and create your own job and your own value, especially given the tools available out there to everyone such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Etsy.com, eBay and many others. While you may or may not succeed in creating your own job or business, going through the process will open doors, teach you new skills, give you more confidence and be more likely over time to lead to new opportunities and new jobs.
In other words, we all now have permission to take risks. Ganbatte kudasai!
Via the Consulate General’s post on the JETAA British Columbia yahoogroup:
2010 MEXT (Monbukagakusho) Research Studies Scholarship
Guidelines and application forms for the 2010 MEXT (Monbukagakusho) Research Scholarship are now available. The scholarship is open to university graduates, born on or after April 2, 1975 who wish to study at a university in Japan as research students.
The deadline to apply for the scholarship is May 14, 2009.
The scholarship documents can be accessed through the Consulate General of Japan in Vancouver’s website at http://www.vancouve r.ca.emb- japan.go. jp/en/culture/ mext.htm
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 604.684.5868, ext. 391 or by Email at culturalcentre [at] consuljpnvan [dot] com.
Sincerely,
Steve Chevalier
Assistant to the Consul, Cultural Affairs
************ ********* ********* ********* ******
The Consulate General of Japan in Vancouver
800-1177 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 2K9
www.vancouver.ca.emb-japan.go.jp
Two recent publications by JET alum Michael Auslin, a professor of Japanese history and politics and currently the Director of Japanese Studies for the American Enterprise Institute in D.C.
The Sick Man of Asia
Posted Date: Monday, April 6, 2009
It might not be possible for Tokyo to maintain the type of global role it has played so far. If that happens, the world may finally understand just how vital that role was. http://www.aei.org/publication29667
Can Japan Thrive–or Survive?
Posted Date: Monday, April 6, 2009
Despite its political sclerosis, economic stagnation, and demographic worries, Japan is a resilient nation that has much to contribute to the world. http://www.aei.org/publication29666
Michael will also be moderating a panel on Tuesday, April 14 at the AEI offices in Washington, D.C. on the topic of “Are Alliances Enough: The Role of the U.S.-Japanese Alliance in Maritime Asia.” The panel is part of an all-day conference titled Protecting the Seas: Maritime Security in the Asia Pacific, America’s Interests, and Asia’s Future.
Via JETAA Pacific Northwest:
Subject: 2010 Japanese Government Scholarships
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2010 Japanese Government Scholarships
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The Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle is now accepting applications for the following 2010 Japanese Government Scholarships for studying in Japan.
U.S. citizens living in the states of Washington, Montana, and Northern Idaho are eligible to apply at our office.
The application forms are available on our website at: http://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp
____________________
Testing the Obama Administration: Implications of a North Korean Missile Launch
Event Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2008
At this event, JET alum and AEI’s Director of Japan Studies Michael Auslin will moderate a panel that will discuss the implications of a North Korean missile launch, including how the launch will affect U.S. relations with other countries in the region, and the future of the six-party …
JET Alum Michael Auslin, Director of Japan Studies for the American Enterprise Institute, will be moderating a panel on Tuesday, April 14 at the AEI offices in Washington, D.C. titled “Are Alliances Enough: The Role of the U.S.-Japanese Alliance in Maritime Asia.” The panel is part of an all-day conference titled Protecting the Seas: Maritime Security in the Asia Pacific, America’s Interests, and Asia’s Future.
Read below for more details. Read More
I just saw this item in the JLGC Newsletter (Winter 2009), which I believe is only issued in print, and thought it might be of interest to some JET alums out there:
Japan Local Government Center (JLGC) Summer Internship Program
Inaugurated in 1992, the program extends to select students interested in Japanese local government the opportunity to spend a summer in Japan. Working side by side with local government officials in either a prefecture or municipal office, students not only gain firsthand exposure to Japanese management in the public sector but are also able to improve their Japanese language skills.
Fort-seven people have participated in this program from 1992 through 2008. JLGC extends a participation qualification to not only the graduate students but also 3rd or 4th year undergraduate students.
If you are interested in the Summer Internship in Japan, please visit the JLGC website at http://www.jlgc.org/activities.php?cid=676&s=summer%20internship.
By translator and writer Jamie Graves (Saitama-Ken 2002-2003)
The Japanese language is notorious for having a relatively small number of phonemes compared to other major world languages, which can be a hindrance when having to learn new sounds outside that structure (the infamous “L” and “R” distinction), but results in a tremendous number of homonyms. While there are slight changes in emphasis between the words for “hair”, “god” and “paper”, they are all kami. I think we can safely assume that the Japanese have been making linguistic tricks like this into bad puns for centuries, if not millennia.
When the Chinese writing system first crash landed onto the Japanese language around fifteen-hundred years ago no one could have predicted the historical fallout: an explosion of bad puns. As Chinese characters were gradually adapted to Japanese, all of the tones that had previously distinguished words like“mǎ” (“horse”, 馬) from “má” (“hemp” 麻) were flattened out. In a language already rife with nearly identical words, this produced a new explosion of homonyms, the building blocks of puns. (The Chinese also use these for puns. In an effort to mess with government censors the phrase 草泥马, “grass-mud-horse” has gone viral on the Chinese blogosphere because the same sounds with different tones mean… something not really printable here. ( This page explains the whole phenomenon.)
Case in point, the furious Japanese tongue twister “Uraniwa niwa niwa, niwa niwa niwa, niwatori ari”. (裏庭には二羽、庭には二羽、鶏あり). Niwa in Read More
A JET alum recently asked if anyone is aware of any scholarships for Americans to study in Japan, particularly in connection with TESOL or applied linguistics.
Any suggestions? Please post in the comments section of this post for the benefit of others, or feel free to e-mail jetwit at jetwit dot com.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
JetWit would like to extend a big omedetou gozaimashita to professional translator and writer Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999) who was recently named Assistant Director at the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia Unviversity. The position was previously held by Miho Walsh, former JET Coordinator at the Consulate General of Japan (NY) who left the Donald Keene Center to become Associate Director at the Asian Cultural Council.
JetWit is happy to see that JET alums are movin’ on up (movin’ on up), to the West Side.
JET alum Michael Auslin, a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, has the lead item in the February 2009 Issue of AEI’s Asian Policy Update. (I can’t find a link to the issue on the AEI website, so I’m just copying and pasting the item below.)
Obama and U.S.-Asian Relations
President Barack Obama has made clear his commitment to maintaining, deepening, and fortifying America’s presence in Asia. Yet many in Asia are still curious about the extent of his interest in and knowledge of the region and the vision he holds for its future.
Leaders from India to Japan know that the new president is overwhelmed with the economic crisis at home and two wars abroad. They also know that what he does to fix America’s economic woes will have an impact on faltering global economies. Still, Asia is more interested in whether Obama will pursue his campaign promises to restrict free trade, end America’s pursuit of ballistic missile defense, and to get North Korea to end its nuclear program.
To a large degree, Obama’s Asia policy will be determined by the region itself. If Asia appears to be stable and without the need for immediate action, the president is likely to keep his attention focused on Afghanistan and the U.S. economy. Should he take that path, Asia might look very different when Obama runs for reelection in 2012. In the intervening years, North Korea could develop a fully reconstituted nuclear weapons program; China could continue to increase military spending to deal with Tibet and may achieve the capability of preventing American air and naval forces from moving freely throughout the East China Sea and beyond; tensions between India and China might grow commensurate with their clashing interests; and Japan may find itself increasingly isolated in a region that is becoming more heavily armed.
We are a nation with territorial, trade, and political interests that bind us inseparably to this most dynamic region on earth. America must continue to promote freer trade, democratic governance, and interstate stability. Otherwise, we may find ourselves with problems that dwarf anything we face in the Middle East.
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Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, will be at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on Wednesday, February 11 for a screening + discussion of the animated film Grave of the Fireflies. More details here. (Side note: Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02) wrote an excellent and succinct review of Grave of the Fireflies for the Spring 2008 JETAAA NY Newsletter.)
BONUS: Roland’s story on Japanese Youth Pathologies for WNYC’s Studio 360 will air on NPR nationwide as part of this coming weekend’s special Japan edition of the show. (See the recent JetWit post on last week’s Studio360 Japan feature.)
Correction: This post previously listed the date of the MFA event as February 9, but it has now been corrected to February 11. Apologies for any confusion.
Japan’s Financial Crisis and Its Parallels to U.S. Experience, edited by Adam S. Posen and Ryoichi Mikitani
Has anyone out there read this book? If so, care to share your thoughts on the premise by posting a comment?
I recently learned about an interesting JET alum named Gavin Whitelaw (whom I’ve never met) whose doctoral dissertation at Harvard’s Reischauer Institute involved 18-months of “observant” participation as a convenience store clerk in Japan. Through his writing he then “sought to describe the lifeworld of these stores and understand their cultural significance as industrial system, social arrangement, and personal practice.”
In August 2008, Gavin began working in Tokyo on a new collaborative project through the Asian-Japan Research Center. The project focuses on “the role popular culture plays in the formation of Asian identities” and “the impact of Chinese and Japanese trends in other Asian societies.”
Click here to read Gavin’s introduction with regard to the project. If I can get in touch with him, perhaps we can post a link to his unique dissertation in the near future.
JET alum Michael Auslin (Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, former Professor of Japanese History at Yale University and one-time judge on Iron Chef America) has a new article in today’s Wall Street Journal Asia titled Ozawa and Obama that analyzes the state of Japan’s economy and political situation and discusses the ways that Japan and the U.S. need to work together.
Here’s the latest update on JET alum Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica and professor at Tokyo University:
ADBUSTERS: A feature story, co-written with Leo Lewis of the Times of London, about signs of socialism and unrest among Japanese youth and the Kanikosen phenomenon is now online:
http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/81/big_in_japan.html (On a related topic, Stacy Smith comments on recent political unrest following the closing of an auto manufacturing plant in Japan in WITLife #7-Totyota Shock (Part 2).)
DAILY YOMIURI: In his latest Soft Power/Hard Truths column in the Daily Yomiuri, Roland revisits Michael Arias, the only American to have directed a feature anime film in Japan–Tekkonkinkreet–(which, incidentally, premiered in the US at MOMA in 2007). Arias’s forthcoming film is the live action Heaven’s Door (opens 2/7/09 in Japan), which Roland attended at a private screening last week. Link to the column: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20081212TDY13004.htm
Seikai University Talk: Roland’s blog (japanamerica.blogspot.com) has a post about his recent talk at Seikei University in western Tokyo about Japanamerica where he introduced both the ideas examined in the book and the latest happenings in the trans-cultural exchange between Japan and the U.S.
More interesting info from JETAA Chicago:
Applications are now being accepted for the Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Advanced Studies in Economics. (http://www.imf.org/external/np/ins/english/scholar.htm#Japimfa)
Procedure for Applying: Students generally apply for the Japan-IMF Scholarship either the year before beginning their graduate studies in economics or in their first year of graduate school. For more information and to download an application, please go to: http://www.imf.org/external/np/ins/english/scholar.htm#Japimfa. The application deadline is December 31, 2008. Read More
Have a look at the new Graduate School page on JetWit.com. These are schools and programs that tend to be popular with JET alumni.
- If you know of a school that should be added, or
- If you attended one of the programs and want to add some information or comments or would be willing to be contacted if other JET alums want to talk to people who have attended your program
just send an e-mail to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
A new report is out by JET alum Michael Auslin and Christopher Griffin entitled The US-Japan Alliance in a New Era.
Michael Auslin is a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former professor of Japanese history at Yale. Christopher Griffen is the security policy advisor to Sen. Joe Lieberman (who seems to held on to his chair in the Senate). The two will be speaking together on a panel at an AEI event on November 20.
You can read the executive summary and you can also download the PDF of the full report.
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