Nov 14

JET Alum Author Beat 11.14.2012

Books, Events, JET Alum Author Beat, Roland Kelts, Uncategorized, Writers Writers Add Comment (1)

Gemma Vidal (Okayama-ken, 2010-12) is a recently returned JET seeking work in licensing/merchandising (if it’s within the publishing industry, even better!). You can usually find her in her little web spaces Gem in the Rough and Peachy Keen (her JET adventures) or training with San Jose Taiko.  If you know of any authors/aspiring writers you’d like to see featured in JET Alum Author Beat, just contact Gemma at gem.vidal  [at] gmail.com

• Congratulations are in order to Will Ferguson (Nagasaki-ken, 1991-94), author of Hitching Rides With the Buddha (f/k/a The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Japan), who was awarded the esteemed 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel 419. You can check out the announcement on the Scotiabank Giller Prize website and read more about his novel and other works on Will’s own website. Congratulations again, Will!

• What better way to warm up from the cold weather than a cup of sake! If you’re a fan of sake and live in Japan, check out John Gauntner’s (author of The Sake Handbook) annual Sake Professional Course 2013. It is a 5-day educational course which includes classroom sessions and visiting sake breweries in the Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe area. For more information about the schedule and registration, please visit the SPCJapan website. You can also download a free version of Sake: The Least You Need To Know, a quick start guide to sake here

• Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1998-90), author of Losing Kei and fiction editor of Literary Mama announced that her latest Young Adult novel, Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible will be published by GemmaMedia (cool name) in May 2013!  Gadget Girl follows the life of 14-year old Aiko Cassidy and her dream to become a manga artist. The story won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award in Fiction. You can check out the book on her website or through Amazon, Powells, and Indiebound.

“In a universe torn by war, two governments vie for power: the elemental Kingdom and the telepathic Hierarchy. Hierarchy women with animal bonds think nothing of sacrificing their beasts’ lives to protect themselves. Except sixteen-year-old Renagada. The bond with her carrion-eater bird Acha is two-sided, and she knows his mind as much as he knows hers. When Rena overhears her parents plotting to kill Acha because of superstition, she must leave her fiancé and home of sheltered luxury to flee with Acha into the desert. Peril awaits them at every turn, and someone is tracking them…”

And that’s all for this round of the Author Beat!

Nov 6

Job: Asian Arts Museum – HR Coordinator (SF)

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Via Philanthropy News Digest. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Human Resources Coordinator
Posted by: The Asian Art Museum
Type: N/A
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview
The Asian Art Museum offers an exciting opportunity for a skilled and motivated individual to gain hands-on human resources experience in a dynamic San Francisco Museum.

The Human Resources Coordinator assists in the administration of a comprehensive and dynamic human resources program for the museum. The Coordinator performs a broad range of administrative and paraprofessional duties related to recruitment and selection, classification, compensation, wellness, benefits, training, and employee relations. The focus of the position is on the coordination of the daily ongoing operations of the Human Resources department. The museum’s complex work environment encompasses both private- and public-sector employees, and seven labor organizations. The nature of the position requires maximum flexibility, resourcefulness, initiative, and creativity.

Examples of Duties
•Coordinates the daily operations of the Human Resources department; maintains all departmental files and records; performs a variety of support duties; responds to inquiries from staff and the public.
•Assists in the management of the personnel administration for public sector employees of the museum; processes hiring, compensation, and other personnel materials for employees of the City and County of San Francisco.
•Manages computerized HR information system (ABRA) for personnel and benefits information; develops improvements to system as necessary; processes personnel transactions; coordinates personnel action requests with payroll; prepares a variety of reports.
•Working closely with the Benefits Manager, assists in benefits administration and management.
•Manages the recruitment mailing list and database; researches and compiles new recruitment sources on a continuous basis to insure maximum outreach; prepares and mails job announcements; places online job advertisements.
•Assists with the interviewing process including scheduling interviews, arranging interview panels, preparing interview materials, and conducting applicant testing; conducts phone screens, interviews and checks references as required; assists with orientation of new employees.
•Plans, organizes, and implements a variety of staff wellness events; oversees the provision of refreshments for monthly staff meetings; plans, purchases, and sets up required food and beverages. Read More

Nov 6

Job: AFS-USA – Director of Outbound Sponsored Programs (DC)

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Via Philanthropy News Digest. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Director of Outbound Sponsored Programs
Posted by: AFS-USA
Type: N/A
Location: New York, New York
Salary: Will be negotiated at the time of hire
Start Date: N/A

Overview
The Director of Outbound Sponsored Programs will develop and implement programming under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State and other funders and funding sources. The Director of Outbound Sponsored Programs collaborates closely with the Director of Inbound Sponsored Programs and the Project Manager and Vice President of Sponsored Programs to foster a team environment across the Sponsored Programs Division. The Director of Outbound Sponsored Programs must work both interdepartmentally and with other organizations, both within the AFS network and outside the AFS network, as well as the US State Department and other funders, to ensure that the programs are successfully implemented. Incumbent directly supervises a staff of two, including two Program Specialists and others as projects require. The Director of Outbound Sponsored Programs reports directly to the Vice President of Sponsored Programs. Read More

Nov 6

Job: Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Nikkei Concerns (Seattle, WA)

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Via JETAA PNW. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Posted by: Nikkei Concerns
Type: N/A
Location: WA
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview
Nikkei Concerns (NC), a non-profit elder-care organization primarily serving the Japanese-American and broader Asian communities in the Pacific Northwest, is seeking qualified applicants for a Chief Operations Officer (COO).  The COO’s primary responsibilities include providing leadership and growing operational and organizational aspects of NC that includes Seattle Keiro Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center, Nikkei Manor Assisted Living Community, Kokoro Kai Adult Day Social Program and Nikkei Horizons Continuing Education Program.  The ideal candidate will have solid management experience and demonstrate an ability to lead, innovate, motivate, and execute with a passion for and sensitivity to enhancing the quality of life of our residents, participants, staff and community.  Familiarity with elder health care policy and services is desired. Please visit www.nikkeiconcerns.org  for the full job description.  Interested qualified individuals should email their resume and cover letter to rtakeuchi@nikkeiconcerns.org  (Rick Takeuchi, Human Resources Director, 206-726-6506).  First considerations will be given to resumes/cover letters received by 5:00 pm, Friday, November 9, 2012.

Nov 6

Jobs:Two Positions Available at the JICC

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Via JETAA DC. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Two positions available: Publicity Coordinator and Webmaster Director
Posted by: JICC
Type: N/A
Location: Washington DC
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview
The JICC is a part of the Public Affairs Section of the Embassy of Japan, with a goal to promote better understanding of Japan and Japanese culture by providing a wide range of information and events to the American public.

The Publicity Coordinator is responsible for promoting various Japan-related events to the public and media. The Webmaster is in charge of maintaining and managing the JICC website and social media. These positions also entail other duties. For further details, please refer to the following Employment Opportunities page of the JICC website. Please be advised to follow the instructions carefully.

http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JICC/employment.html

Nov 6

Job: Director for Japan Affairs at USTR

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Thanks to JET Alum Daniel Lee who is leaving this position soon for a different post at the USTR. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Director for Japan Affairs
Posted by: Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
Type: Full-time
Location: Washington DC
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview
Under the direction of the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (AUSTR) for Japan, Korea & APEC Affairs, the incumbent serves as the Director for Japan Affairs.

The incumbent performs a variety of duties related to the development, coordination and execution of  U.S.- Japan trade policy.  The incumbent leads U.S. trade negotiations with Japanese counterpart agencies, develops U.S.  positions in advance of these negotiations,   supports relevant Trade Policy Sub-Committees to reach interagency agreements on policy positions, determines the most appropriate negotiating strategies and tactics, researches and analyses all background material for these negotiations, and advises the AUSTR, the Deputy USTR, and the USTR on trade policy issues with Japan.  The incumbent prepares Congressional testimony, briefing materials, summary statements and speeches for the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), both Deputy USTRs, the AUSTR for Japan, Korea, & APEC Affairs,  and other senior executives, as appropriate, on major trade issues.  Explains and defends the Administration’s trade policies to foreign governments, the public, the press, and the Congress.

Ability to speak Japanese desirable, but not mandatory. Domestic and foreign travel will be required.

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/330491500

Nov 6

Job: Bi-lingual Accountant (Atlanta)

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Thanks to JET Alum Jessica Kennett Cork for sharing this opening. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Bilingual Accountant
Posted by: Accountants One, Inc.
Type: Full-time
Location: Atlanta, GA
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview
Accountants One has been hired to recruit a bi-lingual Japanese speaking Senior Accountant for their team.  The ideal candidate will 5+ years experience in a manufacturing environment as a senior accountant.

Job Duties
– Process financial statements and analysis
– Report and present financial statements and analysis to CFO and Japanese parent company
– Help process books for the plant
– Process budget vs. actual sales units
– Create power point presentations to communicate financial analysis to CFO and Japanese parent company
– Speak and read Japanese and English fluently
– Financial reporting and analysis – Profit and Loss Variances Read More

Nov 6

JETAA Chicago Career Development Workshop – November 10, 2012

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Via JETAA Chicago. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Event Information

Nov 6

Job: Japan Baseball Administration Intern Spring 2012

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Via JETAA Chicago. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Japan Baseball Administration Intern Spring 2012
Posted by: Octagon
Type: Internship (part-time or full-time)
Location: Chicago, IL
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Qualifications
Octagon is the world’s largest sponsorship consulting practice and a pioneer and leader in athlete and personality representation and management.  With more than 800 employees globally, Octagon manages/influences billions in worldwide sponsorship rights fees and activation.  We work with hundreds of blue-chip corporate clients, more than 800 Athletes & Personalities clients, and manage more than 5,000 events per year.  Leading stakeholders in the sports and entertainment world continue to look to Octagon to provide leadership in understanding fans’ passions and how these insights can build more effective, efficient and measureable marketing programs.  For more information, please visit www.octagon.com

About The Internship
The Baseball Internship offers a compelling and insightful look into the sports industry and an introduction to the world of Baseball off the field. Octagon seeks talented and driven undergraduate or graduate students to closely work with members of our successful Baseball Division on a variety of projects and tasks. Throughout the course of the internship, you will provide administrative support to our Asia Baseball division mainly focusing on Japanese baseball. Your duties will include minor translation, processing expense reports (Yen conversion), client services projects for Japan baseball clients, equipment orders and other general office administrative support.

The position is located in our Chicago, IL office and is a part-time or full-time position during the Spring Semester.  Ideally, we would like you to start in January and work at least 25 hours per week. In order to be considered for this unpaid internship, you must be able to receive school credit and provide proof of credit. Read More

Oct 30

Job: Virtual Concierge (Seattle / Bellevue / Renton)

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Via JETAA Pacific North West. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Virtual Concierge
Posted by: 2 Places At 1 Time, Inc.
Type: Part-time
Location: Seattle / Bellevue / Renton
Salary: $20 per billable hour
Start Date: N/A

Overview:

(Job offer from a fellow JET!)

Join [2 Places At 1 Time, Inc.] as Virtual Concierge for professionals. Job duties include shopping, event planning, pet care, and more. Must have a flexible schedule. This is part-time work, up to 5-10 hours a week. Looking for an individual with thorough knowledge of Seattle and surrounding areas; has reliable transportation and strong customer service experience. This position will require frequent travel in the Seattle – Bellevue – Renton areas. Mileage will be reimbursed. Submit your resume for consideration. All applicants must include a paragraph stating why you are the best candidate for this position.

Once we receive your submission, we’ll send you a quick assessment to make sure this is the right position for you. If everything works out, you’ll receive a call from a recruiting manager within 72 business hours and could become a Virtual Concierge within 2 weeks.

If interested, please contact valeriestewart@2places.com  (JET Alum in Atlanta!) and let her know you are a part of PNWJETAA. Yoroshiku!

http://2placesat1time.com/

Oct 30

Job: JET Office Assistant, Embassy of Japan (London)

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Via JETAA UK. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Office Assistant – JET Desk
Posted by: Embassy of Japan
Type: Full Time Temporary
Location: London, UK
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:

This is a full-time post, on a temporary basis. This post requires a former ALT participant on the JET Programme from the UK who has excellent communication skills, a good command of English, and is a good user of windows office software (i.e. Power Point, Excel, Word etc).

The job involves office administration including answering endless enquiry e-mails/phone calls and help JET interviewees by answering various questions during the interview procedure under the supervision of the Coordinator for Educational Affairs.

The contract starts early December and ends on the last working day of February 2013. After successfully completing the first contract, it will then be renewed until the end of July 2013.

Please send your CV with a covering letter stating why you think you are suited to do the job and how you can contribute to the job by November 15, 2012 to:

Ms. Miki Nemoto
Embassy of Japan, 101-104 Piccadilly, London
info@jet-uk.org

Interview is expected to be held in mid-late November.

Hard worker with patience is required.

http://www.jetaa.org.uk/jobs/jet-office-assistant/

Oct 30

JET Alum Helps Moss Point Mississippi High School Host Japanese Students for Cultural Exchange

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Via WLOX.com. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Moss Point High School’s Japanese club hosted 30 Japanese students in Moss Point Mississippi for a unique experience through the Kizuna Project with JET Alum Megan Bernard.

WLOX.com – The News for South Mississippi

Oct 25

Be a Host School for the Japanese Language Education Assistant Program (J-LEAP)

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Thanks to JET alum Stephen Smith for sharing this information. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Applications to be a host school for the Japanese Language Education Assistant Program (J-LEAP) are now available online. This program seeks K-12 Japanese language teachers to apply to become supervisors to young, native Japanese teaching assistants who have studied Japanese language pedagogy. In addition to receiving a teaching assistant for two years, selected schools will be provided with a $1,000 stipend to purchase teaching materials for the Japanese language classroom.

Please not that J-LEAP teaching assistants cannot serve as independent teachers in the classroom. They are not certified and need to be supervised by a certified teacher.

Please click on the link below and scroll down to the J-LEAP section. You will find links to downloadable program prospectus and application on the right. (Deadline: all application materials need to be submitted by January 31.)

http://www.laurasian.org/Programs.htm

Oct 12

Volunteer: English/Spanish Language Instructors for Global voyage

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Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: English / Spanish Language Teachers
Posted by: Peace Boat, NGO
Type: Volunteer
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A

Overview:
Peace Boat’s Global English/Español Training (GET) Programme is now accepting applications for Volunteer English/Spanish Language Instructors for the 79th Global Voyage (April 1, 2013 – July 12, 2013)

Conditions of Employment:
This position is for enthusiastic, highly motivated, dynamic individuals with a minimum of 18 full-time months teaching experience. Applicants should be highly advanced speakers of English / Spanish, although it is not necessary to be a ‘native’ or ‘first-language’ speaker. Certification or graduate degree and Japanese ability is highly regarded. This is a volunteer position but voyage expenses are covered. The deadline for application is November 23rd, 2012. If you would like to apply please visit:

http://www.peaceboat.org/english/?menu=110

Oct 9

Consulate General of Japan in New York: “Current Situation of the Senkaku Islands”

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The below was sent by the Japan Information Center, an agency of the Consulate General of Japan in New York:

The Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan in New York, would like to brief you on the “Current Situation of the Senkaku Islands” as follows:

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Current Situation of Senkaku Islands

Dear Friends,

In recent months, the geography of Japan has been challenged, historical maps disputed. Last month witnessed the General Assembly sessions where international matters were discussed and debated. Of grave interest to Japan, the Chinese Foreign Minister made China’s own assertion on the sovereignty issue of the Senkaku Islands in his general debate.

We at the Japan Information Center in New York wish to take this opportunity to present to you a few key historical facts about the issue so that you can have a clear and accurate understanding of the matter.

The Senkaku Islands, a chain of five small islands and rocks in the East China Sea, has been an inherent territory of Japan since it first established territorial sovereignty in 1895. The Japanese government established territorial sovereignty of the islands with a cabinet decision in 1895, after a decade of government surveys which confirmed that the Senkakau Islands had been uninhabited, with no trace of having been under the control of the Qing Dynasty of China.

Since that time, the Senkaku Islands have been an integral part of the Nansei Shoto/Okinawa Islands of Japan. They were never part of the Formosa (Taiwan) or the Pescadore Islands, which were ceded to Japan by the Qing Dynasty of China in May of 1895 as part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Under the post-World War II San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951, the Senkaku Islands –which were not included as territories Japan renounced – were placed under the administration of the United States as part of the Nansei Shoto/Okinawa Islands, with administrative rights returning to Japan in 1971.

Japan has effectively controlled the Senkaku Islands since 1895 by exercising administrative duties such as patrol and law enforcement and the levying of taxes on the private owners of the islands.

China and Taiwan began making their own assertions on territorial sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands only from 1971 when the question of the development of petroleum resources on the continental shelf of the East China Sea arose. China and Taiwan had not, prior to that point, raised any objection to Japan’s sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands’ in 75 years. No complaints were made at crucial junctures in the post-World War II history; not in 1945 when Taiwan, without the inclusion of the Senkaku Islands, was freed from Japan, nor in 1951 at the post-World War II drafting of the San Francisco Peace Treaty when administrative rights for the islands were placed from Japan to the United States. In fact, Chinese publications have acknowledged the Senkaku Islands as being a part of Japan, one recent example being a 1953 article titled “The Struggle Against U.S. Occupation by the People of the Ryukyu Islands” in the national newspaper published by China’s Communist Party, the People’s Daily, which clearly defined the Senkaku Islands as being a part of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands.

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