Rise in Elderly Crime in Japan – by The Washington Post’s Blaine Harden
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An interesting article about a rise in crime by the elderly in Japan, by the Washington Post’s Blaine Harden and Akiko Yamamoto. Apparently many older people, feeling isolated and disconnected, are engaging in shoplifting.
A question for JET alumni readers: Have you heard about or experienced this trend or related trends in other contexts? Do any JETs or JET alums out there interact with elderly communities on a regular basis? It seems like there’s a lot of potential for both volunteer and 
work opportunities for JET alums with regard to Japan’s aging population.
Send an e-mail to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com with any comments or perspectives, or post a comment below.
ALTs Beware
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Next they’ll be using them as ALTs. :-)
Job Market Update
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I was in touch with a couple recruiters from Japanese staffing/recruiting firms this past week, and it sounds like there really are no job listings right now, at least from Japanese companies seeking Americans with some level of Japanese ability. The one glimmer of light was a comment that, starting in 2009, Japanese HR managers may be more open to hiring given that down markets are always a good time to hire talented people.
So buckle your seatbelt and be creative and proactive if you’re in the market for a job. And by all means make use of JetWit and the JET alumni network. (And any other networks you have too, for that matter.) Most of all, remember that every challenge offers new opportunities. It’s just a matter of figuring out what they are. Ganbarimashou!
Job Opportunities Shifting Overseas?
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As the US economy slides (crashes?) and the job market seems less and less supportive here in the US, many JET alums are likely starting to look back to Japan for work opportunities. Sure Japan is in a recession, but they don’t seem to have quite the negative exposure that the US financial institutions have had and in several instances Japanese finance has helped bail out some struggling US banks and auto companies.
An article in today’s NY Times seems to support this trend, taking about lawyers increasingly moving to their firms’ offices in Asia and the Middle East. Notably, the article starts off with a female lawyer who decided to accept her firm’s suggestion to move to their Tokyo office.
Are you in a similar boat? If you’re a JET alum who’s moving (or considering moving) back to Japan or elsewhere for better opportunities, get in touch and share you’re story. Just e-mail stevenwaseda /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
JETAA DC reports opening of a new Japanese grocery store
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Hana Grocery recently opened at the corner of 17th and U Street, NW. I went there for the first time today, and it’s a small store, but it has a good assortment of products and the prices are reasonable. The store hours are 10am – 7pm, 7 days a week. Nearest metro stops are Dupont Circle (red line) and U Street/Cardozo (green line).
Book Review: Japan Rising by Kenneth Pyle
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Reviewed by Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02) (Originally published in the JETAA NY Fall 2008 Quarterly Newsletter)
Bookstores are stocked full of tomes charting the recent rise of India and China. The IT and computer programming revolution in the former and the manufacturing explosion in the latter have accompanied such massive population growth in both countries that the world’s attention has naturally shifted to that region of Asia.
In this context, Kenneth Pyle’s new book Japan Rising: The Resurgence of Japanese Power and Purpose may seem anachronistic, as a holdover from the 1980s, the decade when, to quote a book from the era, Japan would be “first among equals.” But Pyle, a Professor of Asian history at the University of Washington, makes a strong case for Japan’s continuing relevance in the international global community, both politically and economically. His book is a fascinating account of Japanese foreign policy history, from its origins in the Meiji era to its current strategic calculations.
Much commentary has been made about Japan’s ability to preserve tradition while adapting to foreign Read More
New JET Alumni Music Group
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Adren Hart has started a new Google Group for JET alumni (and Friends of JET) who are interested in or have any connection to music, musical events, etc. The group is called JETAA Ongaku Connection and it’s goal is to help connect JET alums who are interested in going to music events, following Japanese bands, playing music and anything esle having to do with music. A great way to stay connected with the JET alumni network.
http://groups.google.com/group/jetaa-ongaku-connection
Go to the link above to sign up. (FYI, you’ll need to have (or create) a google or gmail account to sign up for a google group.)
The US-Japan Alliance: A new report by JET alum Michael Auslin
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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.
Latest edition of JapnInfo Now On-line
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The November 2008 edition of JapanInfo is now available. JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.
This edition includes items on:
- Donald Keene
- 4 Japanese scientists who won the Nobel Prize
- Hiroshima Tourism Fair held at the Abmassador’s residence
- And a full event calendar for the New York area!
Roland Kelts Update – 11/17/08
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Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), the author of Japanamerica and a professor at Todai, is back in Japan and up to some interesting things.
NPR: He’s putting together a program about Japan’s generation gap and disaffected youth culture for WNYC’s Studio 360. It will likely air in January.
Anime Masterpieces: Creating and editing a Study Guide for the next film in the 
series, Tekkonkinkreet. Go to animemasterpieces.com for more info on the panel. The most recent event was on the 14th at the Waterloo Festival of Animated Cinema in Canada. The next event will be Dec. 6th at the Smithsonian featuring John Dower, Susan Napier and Fred Schodt. The next event in which Roland will appear will be Feb. 11 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The Who: Attending all four of their Kanto area shows and spending time with Pete Townsend and his assistant and crew (with whom he’s become friends!) According to Roland, the shows have been spectacular, with rabidly enthusiastic responses from Japanese fans–who stand and cheer through the entire concert (which he observes is fairly unusual for usually reserved Japanese concert-goers). The final two shows will be at Budokan.
He even received a compliment from Pete Townsend on his latest Daily Yomiuri column, which Pete read one morning when the paper was delivered to his hotel room.
Adbusters Magazine: Has become a contributing writer/editor at Adbusters magazine (http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/too_comfortable_to_take_risks.html), which means he provides a story from Japan for every issue, starting this past September. A scan of his story from the lates issue 
is, The MANGA MAN, is available on Roland’s blog. Meanwhile, the current issue of Adbusters has a lengthy feature by Roland on the recent success of Kanikosen (The Crab Ship), a socialist novel written by Takiji Kobayashi in 1929, among young Japanese, and the spike in enrollment in Japan’s Communist Party since the start of this year.
Event at Center on Japanese Economy and Business: Lessons from the Japanese Bubble for the U.S.
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Thanks to CJEB’s Jennifer Olayon (Nagasaki-ken, 1999-2000) for passing this along.
Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Columbia Business School Panel Discussion:
Lessons from the Japanese Bubble for the U.S.
Panelists
Takeo Hoshi, Pacific Economic Cooperation Professor in International Economic Relations, School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego
Paul Sheard, former Global Chief Economist, Lehman Brothers
Michael Woodford, John Bates Clark Professor of Political Economy, Economics Department, Columbia University
Moderator
David E. Weinstein, Carl S. Shoup Professor of the Japanese Economy, Economics Department, Columbia University; Associate Director of Research, Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Columbia Business School
Wednesday, November 19
4:30 – 6:00PM
Uris Hall, Room 301, 3022 Broadway
Co-sponsored by the Program on Alternative Investments, Center on Japanese Economy and Business of Columbia Business School; Columbia University’s Program for Economic Research and the Weatherhead East Asian Institute
For more information and registration details, please visit www.gsb.columbia.edu/cjeb
JET alum Michael Auslin (Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former Professor of Japanese History at Yale University) will be speaking on the future of the U.S.-Japanese Alliance together with Christopher Griffin, defense policy adviser to Sen. Joseph Lieberman, on November 20 at the American Enterprise Institute.
Securing Freedom: A Report on the Future of the U.S.-Japanese Alliance
You can find this online at: http://www.aei.org/event1840
“In a new report entitled Securing Freedom: The U.S.-Japanese Alliance in a New Era, AEI’s Michael Auslin and Christopher Griffin, defense policy adviser to Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-D-Conn.), demonstrate that the United States and Japan should reorient their alliance to support political and economic liberalization. These reforms would in turn create bulwarks against authoritarian expansion and ensure that democracy, free markets, and transparent security policies become the animating principles of politics in Asia.” Read More
2008 Japanese Ex-pat Election Survey (from JETAA NY Fall 2008 Newsletter)
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Who says Japanese people don’t voice their political opinions? Read on to see what some of our ex-pat friends think about the U.S. presidential candidates.
Voter Turnout LiftUp Bra
The process: An e-mail was sent out to JET alums to ask their Japanese friends and colleagues to tell them for whom they would vote in the upcoming U.S. election and for what reason. Here are their responses:
MCCAIN
Good for Japan’s economy and good for US’s Business.
RON PAUL
I vote neither Obama nor McCain. I think I would vote for Ron Paul. From my understanding, he has specific plans and interesting background (Is he used to be a republic but now a third party?).
OBAMA
I still want Hillary to be the next president but it is not happening, so I would vote for
Obama. The reasons is that I am strong anti-gun and pro-abortion (freedom of choice). So, I don’t Read More
La-la-la-la-la O-ba-ma & Japanese Songwriting
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Obama-shi, Japan is so happy about the US election, they’ve come up with a song and video about it. Meanwhile, have you ever written a song in Japanese (or partly in Japanese)? Let me know and I’ll post it, or perhaps we can collaborate with other JET alums to come up with a tune and/or record it. Just email me at stevenwaseda at-mark jetwit dotto com.
Daily Yomiuri Column by Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99)
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There’s a new Daily Yomiuri column out today by Japanamerica author Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99). In his periodic column (“Soft Power/Hard Truths”), he comments on American perceptions of Japan and of foreigners, touching on his recent on-stage interview with Haruki Murakami in San Francisco as well as the recent matchup of the Rays’ Akinori Iwamura against the Red Sox Hideki Okajima.
