Good analysis of the LDP return to power from The Monkey Cage
Academic, Japan Trends 
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This post from The Monkey Cage by political science professor Joshua Tucker citing Christina Davis is the most in-depth and current piece I’ve seen explaining what the LDP re-election is really all about and putting Japan’s current situation in perspective.
Here are some excerpts:
Despite electoral victory, the LDP did not receive a strong mandate. In a post-election poll conducted by the Asahi Shimbun, respondents asked to explain the LDP victory cited “disappointment of the DPJ government” (81 percent) rather than “support for the LDP’s policies” (7 percent).
…….
In what could be seen as a profile in courage or political suicide, Prime Minister Noda made a deal with the LDP in August that in exchange for their support to pass an unpopular tax increase, he would agree to call for an early election.
The DPJ’s ability to allocate pork barrel policies as the incumbent party made it hard for the LDP to differentiate itself on bread and butter issues, and it instead had to rely on nationalism to mobilize a new policy frame.
……..
Going forward, it is probable that the LDP will deliver what Noda could not and bring Japan into the TPP negotiations. Despite the party’s tepid stance toward the trade talks during the election, in order to deliver on its promise to revitalize the economy the party cannot only cater to rural interests in protection.
……..
China has viewed the election with alarm as sign of movement toward resurgent nationalism and anti-China sentiment in Japan. This fear is misplaced given that the electoral politics reflected rejection of DPJ more than endorsement of LDP…… Chinese leaders are equally committed to economic growth and must recognize that efforts to coerce Japan through economic policies may backfire as did the embargo on rare earth mineral exports imposed in October 2010. The key will be to avoid misunderstandings and accidents through clear diplomacy on both sides to assure that posturing for domestic audiences does not aggravate relations.
CLICK HERE to read the full article.
Life After JET: Matthew Kohut, Psychotherapist
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Matt Kohut (CIR Aichi-ken, Shitara-cho, 1998-2000) is a psychotherapist is New York City. He is not a writer but wrote this piece. For more about Matt please visit: www.mattkohut.com.
*Have your own “Life After JET” story that you think would be of interest to the JET/JET alum community? Email jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
PRACTICE
Matthew M. Kohut, LMSW
JET was always part of the plan. Since studying abroad in Japan in my teens and twenties I felt the need to keep my love for Japan alive. I had each step planned. First do JET, learn Japanese, then work at a high-profile company pushing billions of Yen around the world, bow, firmly shake hands, exchange business cards without pocketing them until outside the room, guzzle Kirin black-label with colleagues until shuden, show up for calisthenics the next morning, pretend like none if it happened, live long, prosper and die. It was a nice plan, cinematic and to the point. But, exciting? Debatable.
I did ok at making the plan work until I got to the point of pushing billions of yen around the world. Upon returning from JET in 2000, I landed a job at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco as Assistant to the Cultural Attaché. I was hobnobbing with National Living Treasures, speaking Japanese in huddles of diplomats by day, and lazing around home with my Japanese boyfriend by night, ne-ing and yo-ing about it until bedtime. It wasn’t the plan, but it was close enough.
And it was good enough too– for a while. But about my third year of working at the Consulate I Read More
Write a review of the JET Program for Teach Abroad
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I saw this posted to the Pacific Northwest JETAA Facebook group as well as the New Jersey JETAA Facebook group. It seems to be a nice opportunity to help promote the JET Program and help with recruiting (which in turn helps build the JET alumni community), so I thought I’d re-post to JETwit and encourage others to post reviews:
Posted by Tyler Starling:
Hey everyone! I am a student at UC Berkeley and an intern at a local startup called GoOverseas. We are the leading Teach Abroad review resource, but we currently ONLY HAVE SIX REVIEWS of JET Program with a 92% overall rating. Please help out other teachers, graduates, and students by sharing your experience and posting an honest review at http://www.gooverseas.com/
Local Industrial Festival Reveals a Wealth of Culture
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Posted by Benjamin Martin, a 5th year JET in Okinawa, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com and author of the YA fantasy novel Samurai Awakening (Tuttle).
The industrial Fair, or sangyo matsuri in Japanese, is a fixture in the annual event calendar on my island. From the English translation you might think of cars, heavy manufacturing, and other well-known industry. In Japan, though, many products are made by very small local companies rather than in large factories. Even when big factories are necessary, there are often many small shops acting as suppliers. Taken to a further level, small rural communities without those major industries often have a vibrant industrial community supporting local needs. You might be surprised to learn about all the things going on around you in small local Japan.
Recently, our island had its yearly sangyo matsuri, and event designed to inform locals about the various products made on Kumejima and also to sell those products. One of the local kaizen (community) centers was taken over by scores of tables and activities for everyone to enjoy.
Checkout MoreThingsJapanese.com for more photos and a video on the Agricultural, Oceanic, and Cultural sights at this unique event.
JET Alum Author Beat 12.15.12
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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. She would also like to express her deepest condolences to the community of Newtown, Connecticut.
- Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica wrote a special article for The Japan Times where he interviewed Pete Townshend, guitarist of The Who and discussed UK/Japan post-WWII similarities and Mr. Townshend’s recent memoir, “Who I Am”. You can find the article here. Roland Kelts also posted an interesting article on the possible decline of the pop culture phenomenon “Japan Cool”. That article can be found here at The Christian Science Monitor.
- If you’re looking for some light entertainment, Young Adult book Guardian of the Dead’s New Zealand author Karen Healey self-published a collection of essays titled Teen Movie Times. In this collection she muses on teen movie “classics” such as Bring it On and Clueless. Who knows, maybe one of these movies can be used in one of your lessons?
JQ Magazine: Book Reviews – ‘Belka, Why Don’t You Bark?’ and ‘The Future Is Japanese’
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A pair of this year’s releases from Haikasoru.
Belka, Why Don’t You Bark?
“As a writer, Furukawa is possessed of a kinetic voice that seems to teeter on the edge of insanity. The hyperactive prose is sometimes poetic, sometimes sharp like a stinging slap in the face. Often, it’s both.” (Haikasoru)
By Sharona Moskowitz (Fukuoka-ken, 2000-01) for JQ magazine. Sharona is interested in fresh, new voices in fiction and creative nonfiction.
War: It’s a Dog’s Life. Battle Is a Bitch. War and Fleas.
These were just a few of the potential titles I had streaming through my mind as I sat down to write the review of Belka, Why Don’t you Bark?, the newly translated novel by Hideo Furukawa. But the truth is, love it or hate it (and you very well may hate it, but more on that later), Belka is far too original to be reduced to silly catchphrases or bromides.
At the very start of the novel, readers are met with a detailed canine family tree complete with the dogs’ names and nationalities. In looking back, this might as well have been a de facto warning: if anthropomorphism is not your thing, put this book down immediately.
The story begins in 1943 on the Aleutian Island of Kiska where four military dogs are left by the Japanese and then claimed by U.S. troops after the Japanese retreat. One dog dies and the other three go on to produce the offspring that populate the novel and occupy the branches of the family tree. Belka chronicles the lives of the military dogs who trace their roots back to Kiska, intertwined with the story of the young daughter of a yakuza boss who is kidnapped in the USSR and has a psychic connection to dogs. Belka is a book about history through canine eyes, namely the wars of the 20th century, as Furukawa tells us “history is moved, rolled this way and that, so simply. The twentieth century was a pawn, as were the dogs.”
WIT Life #222: Japan’s Global Leadership
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Earlier this week I went to a lunchtime 座談会 (zadankai, or round-table talk) at Columbia Business School’s Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB) entitled “Global Leadership Challenges for Japanese Companies.” The discussion was led by Sheena Iyengar, the S.T. Lee Professor of Business at the school and moderated by Hugh Patrick, the Center’s Director. Some of the themes explored during the course of the hour and a half session were how to stimulate entrepreneurship, the issue of global leadership being thought of as equivalent to English ability, and the cultural fear of making mistakes as hindering innovation. There was an interesting characterization of America as being on the promotion side of the spectrum (risk-taking), and Japan falling on Read More
State of Colorado recognizes contributions of JET alumni to Colorado-Japan relationship
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Written by JETAA USA Board of Advisors member Jessyca Livingston who also serves as the JET Coordinator at the Consulate in Denver:
The Consulate General of Japan and Consul-General Ono recently hosted the 2012 National Day Reception. Rocky Mountain JET Alumni Association Executive Officers and Board Members were among the invitees along with other Japanese Community members, business leaders and government officials (including Denver Mayor Hancock).
Every year, the State of Colorado issues a Proclamation to the Consulate General of Japan in Denver on the occasion of the National Day Reception. This year, marked as “The year of opportunity for enhanced relations, friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and the State of Colorado”, acknowledged the success of the JET Program and the many participants sent from Colorado as a key component which continues to strengthen ties between Colorado and Japan.
The number of JETs sent from the Rocky Mountain region remains strong as does the quality of JETs we send as participants. Additionally, many of our JET alums in this region remain involved in supporting and strengthening US-Japan relations in a variety of fields locally, nationally and internationally. This recognition from the State of Colorado is indeed significant to RMJETAA and to the JET Program as a whole.
Via JETAA Sydney. 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: Consultants
Posted by: JTB
Type: Full-time
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
JTB Melbourne is expanding in the new year and is looking for 2 new staff members to begin work in January as consultants. Are you or do you know of anyone looking for a travel job?
This is a full-time position in the Melbourne office, wholesale section. Knowledge of Japan and some travel consulting experience would be great. All applications will be considered.
https://www.facebook.com/JTB.Travel/posts/10151154794931921
Job: Fed Reserve Bank – Analyst with Japan Background (SF or LA)
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Thanks to JET alum Daniel Lee (Hokkaido, 2000-03) for sharing this posting. 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: Analyst
Posted by: The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Type: Full-time
Location: San Francisco or LA
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Summary Of The Job:
The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Regional and Foreign Institutions Group is seeking a team-oriented individual to serve as a country/banking analyst for the Country Analysis Unit (CAU). CAU is primarily dedicated to advancing the effective supervision of Asian Foreign Banking Organizations (FBOs) by: (1) evaluating the financial capacity of FBOs to support their U.S. operations; (2) identifying country risks and focusing supervisory resources to mitigate the impact of such risks; (3) strengthening relationships with Asian supervisory authorities and regional organizations; (4) enhancing our understanding of how Asian economic, financial sector and regulatory issues affect financial institutions; and (5) assisting the Federal Reserve System in developing and implementing effective supervisory strategies and policies. As a country/banking analyst, the incumbent will report directly to the Director of CAU and function as a key analyst on economic, financial sector, and banking supervisory issues related to the economies in Asia to which he/she is assigned. Read More
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: Translator Japanese – UK English
Posted by: Nintendo of Europe
Type: Full-time
Location: Frankfurt am Main (Germany)
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
Nintendo of Europe is looking for a UK English native speaker with an excellent knowledge of the Japanese language to take up a full-time position within our software localization team.
A multi-faceted role within a team of talented colleagues awaits the successful applicant. Click link to apply:
https://jobs.nintendo.de/main?fn=bm.ext.jobsdetail_engl&refnr=1292747&land=GB
Job: University of West Florida Japan Center Director
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Thanks to Jessica 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: Director, Japan Center and Florida-Japan Linkage Institute
Posted by: University of West Florida (UWF)
Type: Full-time
Location: Pensacola, FL
Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
The University of West Florida (UWF) seeks a Director, Japan Center and Florida-Japan Linkage Institute. The Director reports to the Associate Vice President for Diversity and International Education and Programs (ODIEP). The Director provides leadership and management for the Japanese language and culture program, the Jikei-American Center, and the Florida-Japan Linkage Institute. The Director will be the primary coordinator for all Japanese activities at the University as well as serve as the primary liaison for Japanese activities with the City of Pensacola and its sister city-Gero/Hagiwara and Florida’s sister state, Wakayama. The Director also will work with the Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, the Jikei Group of Colleges, and State of Florida-related Japanese activities. Read More
JLGC Newsletter – December 2012
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Via CLAIR-NY (aka Japan Local Government Center):
The newest JLGC Newsletter is has been published and can be viewed here: http://www.jlgc.org/pdfs/en/news74.pdf
The issue includes a feature on the recent JETAA USA Conference in San Francisco as well as well-written and extremely informative report by CLAIR-NY Senior Researcher Matt Gillam following his recent visit to Ishinomaki City, Miyagi titled, “Appearance and Reality: Recovery and Tohoku.”
“Even people who live there can sometimes be amazed at the pace of recovery. Until you talk for a while and realize there are two recoveries going on, the physical and the psychological, and there is a vast difference between what can be seen and what cannot. This point was driven home for me when I spoke with the principal of an elementary school in Ishinomaki who talked about how many problems the kids are having lately and the increase in theft, bullying, fights, and other manifestations of the stress and trauma that they bring to school from their homes.”
JLGC publishes semi-annual newsletters featuring articles on JETAA activity, sister city and sister state relationships, exchange programs, and local government issues in the United States, Canada, and Japan. The newsletter enables local government officials, JLGC’s fellowship program participants, and other interested persons to stay abreast of JLGC activities and research efforts. At the same time, the newsletter provides those outside of the organization with the opportunity to share their ideas and opinions.
Click the following link to subscribe to the JLGC Newsletter: http://www.jlgc.org/NewsLetterEmailEntry.aspx
I’ll Make It Myself!: Avocado Almond Cookies
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L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
Downtown Kanazawa is experiencing its seemingly annual winter butter shortage. The grocery stores I frequent have signs that read “one package per customer” and explain that the shortage is due to conditions in Tohoku, where much of the nation’s dairy is produced. My friends in other cities report that they’re having no issues finding or buying butter–maybe the shortage is from all the bakeries in town making Christmas cakes?
As a result of butter’s becoming increasingly expensive and hard to find here, I’m trying to cut back. I have a collection of recipes for muffins, quick breads, and pastry crusts that take yogurt, oil, or applesauce instead, but all my standard holiday cookie recipes take butter. This year, I’ve decided to work on some Japan-friendly non-butter cookie recipes in hopes of saving my wallet and my holiday spirit.*
Jobs: Asian Art Museum (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: Museum Store Assistants
Posted by: Asian Art Museum
Type: N/A
Location: San Francisco, California
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
The Asian Art Museum is seeking flexible, reliable, and “people-oriented” individuals with retail and customer service experience to assist with the operations of a dynamic museum store located in the busy Westfield Shopping Centre. The mobile retail unit offering a unique array of Asian and Asian-inspired merchandise will be an important public outpost for the museum.
The Museum Store Assistant will be assigned to perform a variety of duties including greeting and assisting customers, opening and closing of the retail unit, opening and reconciling the register, handling sales transactions, maintaining the store appearance, and assisting with stocking, inventory, and preparing merchandise.
The Assistant is expected to provide consistent exceptional customer service and to build sales through proactive, positive interaction with the customers. Store Assistants will be ambassadors of the Asian Art Museum as well as sales assistants. Read More
