WIT Life #120: Domestic challenges
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WITLife 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.
Yesterday’s NYT had an article about the rise of Japan’s very own Tea Party. It profiles the rise of the Zaitokukai, or the Citizens Group That Will Not Forgive Special Privileges for Koreans in Japan. In comparison to old-line rightist groups this movement is known as the Net right, as they are organized via the Internet and come together for demonstrations. The article focused on their protest last December at an elementary school for ethnic Koreans. This year they also picketed theaters showing the documentary The Cove, which they perceive to be anti-Japanese. The group is led by a 38-year old man who insists that foreigners have caused Japan to go in the wrong direction (members even harassed some Westerners for wearing Halloween costumes!). The far right writes them off as amateur attention seekers, but nevertheless this is a disturbing trend.
In WSJ coverage this morning, there is discussion of how a majority of Read More
WIT Life #118：プリクラの進化
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WITLife 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.
It’s been a few years since I lived in Japan, but during my various periods in the country purikura played a big part in my life. Purikura stands for “print club” and refers to the sticker pictures often taken with friends that blanket Japan and many malls in the States as well. I must admit I sometimes didn’t fully understand all the purikura functions available and usually let my Japanese friends take charge, but they seem to have advanced even further these days. A special on the news this morning took a look at what current purikura machines have to offer.
Three functions were highlighted as being the most sought after by young women, who are the prime target of purikura. They are big eyes (デカ目 or dekame), skin beautifier (美肌機能 or bihada kinou) and linking to your keitai (携帯との連動性）. The first option of dekame works Read More
WITLife 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.
As of late there has been much discussion regarding to what extent English should be incorporated into different aspects of Japanese society. A recent post here talked about the possibility of mandating English in Japanese high schools in 2013, and a Wall Street Journal article from earlier this month entitled “English Gets the Last Word in Japan” highlighted Japanese firms that are conducting their internal business in English. This is an interesting phenomenon that is especially timely in light of the possibility of the JET program being cut.
The high school teacher who wrote the former article says, “Although many of our school’s students acquire the reading and writing skills needed to pass university entrance exams, I have failed to teach them the skills necessary for simple conversation. In the future, these elite students from high-ranking universities will Read More
WIT Life #116: Japanese Shifts in Sumo and Economic Status
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WITLife 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.
Two interesting Japan articles in today’s Wall Street Journal. The first on the cover page talks about the sumo club at Tokyo University, and how those previously not associated with the sport, such as smaller size wrestlers and foreigners, are now making a splash. The second in the opinion section discusses the recent news that China has replaced Japan as the world’s second largest economy (and is set to surpass America in the near future). Happy reading!
WIT Life #113: Centenarian crisis
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WITLife 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.
Recent news coming out of Japan has surrounded unsettling discoveries regarding its elderly population. Last week it was revealed that Tokyo’s oldest listed man, who if alive would have been 111 last month, likely died over 30 years ago. According to a report on CNN this morning, currently the whereabouts of about 30 Japanese centenarians are unknown. As discussed in this coverage from Bloomberg, “the disappearance of some of Japan’s oldest citizens is raising concern that some families are bilking the nation’s pension system even as others risk being deprived of payments for the same reason — poor record keeping.” This was a big issue back in 2007 when Read More
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JET Return on Investment (ROI) is a new category on JetWit intended to highlight the various economic and diplomatic benefits to Japan resulting from its investment in the JET Program. This first post by Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) lays out the context and background regarding the serious challenges now faced by the JET Program and JET Alumni Association in connection with current economic problems and political shifts in Japan. Email jetwit@jetwit.com with ideas or submissions for additional JET ROI posts.
“JET Program on the Chopping Block”
Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director for the Japan Center for International Exchange
Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) has served as the Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) (www.jcie.or.jp) in New York since 2002, the US affiliate of one of the leading nongovernmental institutions in the field of international affairs in Japan. JCIE brings together key figures from around the world for programs of exchange, research, and dialogue designed to build international cooperation on pressing regional and global challenges. Before joining JCIE in 2001, Jim conducted research with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and taught English in rural Japanese middle schools as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. He received a BA from the University of Notre Dame, conducted graduate research at Ehime University in Japan, and has a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Mr. Gannon is also a fellow with the US-Japan Network for the Future, operated by the Mike and Maureen Mansfield Foundation, and his recent publications include “East Asia at a Crossroads” in East Asia at a Crossroads and “Promoting the Study of the United States in Japan” in Philanthropy and Reconciliation: Rebuilding Postwar US-Japan Relations.
As part of Japan’s efforts to grapple with its massive public debt, the JET Program may be cut. Soon after coming into power, the new DPJ government launched a high profile effort to expose and cut wasteful government spending. This has featured jigyo shiwake–budget review panels that were tasked with reviewing government programs and recommending whether they should be continued or cut. (See Stacy Smith’s (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) May 21 WITLife post that explains jigyou shiwake and touches on the threat to the JET Program.)
In May 2010, the JET Program and CLAIR came up for review, and during the course of an hourlong hearing, the 11-member panel criticized the JET scheme, ruling unanimously that a comprehensive examination should be undertaken to see if it should be pared back or eliminated altogether.When the jigyo shiwake panels were launched in November 2009, the intent was to weed out bloated spending and a wide range of government programs were put under review, from government-affiliated think tanks to host nation support for US military bases. Bureaucrats involved with each program were directed to submit a brief report on program activities and testify before panels consisting of a handful of Diet members and roughly a dozen private citizens from different walks of life. The defenders of each program were given five minutes to explain why the program is worthwhile, the finance ministry then laid out the rationale for cutting it, and then the panel held a 40 minute debate before issuing a recommendation whether the program should live or die.
Diet member Renho
This extraordinary spectacle made for great theater, becoming wildly popular with voters disenchanted with a lack of government transparency and critical of recurring bureaucratic scandals. In November 2009, the first round of jigyo shiwake panels dominated the newspapers’ front pages and the hearings were streamed live by various online news sites. The process even gave rise to a new set of stars, most notably Renho, a 42 year-old Taiwanese-Japanese announcer turned Diet member who relentlessly attacked the bureaucrats who appeared before the panels.
Despite this initial success, a backlash eventually began to brew against the jigyo shiwake panels, with detractors labeling them as mindless populism, arguing that panel members without any special expertise were unqualified to evaluate the programs and ridiculing the attempt to pass judgment on complex, long-standing projects with such a cursory review. In one noteworthy development, a group of Japanese Nobel laureates publicly rebuked the Hatoyama Goverment for jigyo shiwake recommendations to gut government funding for basic scientific research. Renho herself met with ridicule for arguing in one budget hearing, “What’s wrong with being the world’s number two?”
On May 21, a diverse set of programs including the JET Program were lumped together in one hourlong session and, during the course of the proceedings, the JET Program was criticized as being ineffective in raising the level of Japan’s English education. One of the more publicized comments called for the elimination of the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) portion of JET. The general sense was that the JET Program was being evaluated as an educational program with the exchange component being given short shrift, since its impact is difficult to quantify and assess. (Click here for the ruling on the JET Program in Japanese in PDF format.)
A few Japanese intellectual and foreign policy leaders have begun to push back against the attacks on the JET Program, noting how important it is in terms of public diplomacy and in Japan’s engagement with a range of countries. In its June meeting in Washington, D.C., the US-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Exchange (CULCON), a joint US-Japan “wisemen’s commission” scathingly criticized the shortsightedness of any move to cut the JET Program, issuing a statement that
“CULCON strongly endorses the JET Program, especially against the background of negative assessment expressed by some panelists of the screening process.”
For its part, the US State Department also seems to be taking the position that the JET Program makes valuable contributions to the long-term underpinnings of US-Japan relations and cutting it will be harmful. Meanwhile, a handful of articles have also started to appear in the Japanese press defending the JET Program, although there have been only limited contributions to the debate so far by current and former JET participants.
The number of JET participants has already been cut back by almost 30 percent from the peak in 2002, but this is the most direct threat to its survival that the program has faced in its 23-year history. The pattern that has emerged with the previous round of jigyo shiwake has been that programs receiving this type of verdict will be scaled back significantly, absent any public outcry or political maneuvering by important figures.
It appears that the next few months will be decisive in whether and how the JET Program continues.
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Additional reading on this topic:
- “The JET Program is a Successful Example of US-Japan Exchange” – Sankei Shimbun, June 26, 2010 – http://sankei.jp.msn.com/world/america/100626/amr1006260751000-n1.htm (in Japanese)
- “Second round of state spending reviews begins” – Japan Times, April 24, 2010 – http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100424a3.html
- “Japanese scientists rally against government cuts: Packed meeting hears a chorus of lament from Nobelists” – Nature News, November 26, 2009 – http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091126/full/news.2009.1108.html
- Ruling on JET (PDF) (In Japanese) – http://www.cao.go.jp/sasshin/data/shiwake/result/B-36.pdf (Feel free to provide English translation of relevant parts in the comments section of this JetWit post.)
Have a good idea for a JET ROI post? Please contact Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) at jetwit@jetwit.com.
WIT Life #105: Samurai in New York
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WITLife 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.
Last night I had the chance to preview the Samurai in New York: The First Japanese Delegation, 1860 exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. There was a reception to celebrate its opening hosted by Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya and those affiliated with the museum. In his opening remarks, he detailed how descendants of members of the original 70-plus person delegation were in attendance. One was a woman who currently makes her home in New York, and another was a Buddhist monk who had traveled from Japan. It was a wonderful tribute to the original delegation to have these representatives present.
The exhibit itself, though limited in scope, contains some interesting artifacts. Evidently they had been Read More
WIT Life #104: Of sales tax and soccer
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WITLife 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.
A hot issue in Japan right now is PM Naoto Kan’s proposal of doubling the current sales tax of 5% (Coverage from earlier this week in the WSJ can be found here). According to projections, an increase of this amount could lead to an additional 165,000 yen ($1829) from each household annually. Kan has emphasized that he anticipates this being implemented over the next two to three years, but his willingness to even touch this kind of financial reform differs greatly from his DPJ predecessor Yukio Hatoyama (who had promised not to alter the sales tax for four years).
Response to this announcement have been mixed. Surprisingly, a survey carried out by Yomiuri Shimbun found that Read More
WIT Life #103: The Cove
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WITLife 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.
An article in today’s Times discusses the reaction of right wingers in Japan to The Cove, a documentary about dolphin hunting in a place called Taiji. This group, 右翼 or uyoku, are said to number about 10,000 throughout the country and have been responsible for various acts of violence such as torching the houses of politicians whose views they don’t agree with (i.e. regarding visits to Yasukuni Shrine). This time they are protesting outside theaters attempting to show this film, insisting that it will “poison Japan’s soul.” However, there is significant interest in this doc as evidenced by the turnout of over 700 people for a one-time screening in Tokyo last week, where about 100 had to be turned away due to lack of space.
Quoted in the article is the documentary filmmaker and author Tatsuya Mori, who I Read More
WIT Life #102: Learning Disabilities in Japan
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WITLife 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.
I was very excited to hear from one of my closest college friends that her husband would be having a business trip in Japan. Not only was I happy for him, a fellow classmate as well, to be able experience Japan, but also because of his line of work. Pictured at right, Jonathan Mooney grew up with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia and didn’t learn to read until he was 12. However, he is now an amazing author and public speaker. He has his own non-profit based in California and often travels both domestically and internationally to share his experiences and help children like himself and their families.
Jon has spoken in China before, but this was his first time going to Japan upon the invitation of a professor from Osaka. He will be giving a presentation in Read More
WIT Life #100: ダーリンは外国人
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WITLife 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.
Last night I went to see the US premiere of ダーリンは外国人 or My Darling is a Foreigner. This film is based on the manga series with the same title by Saori Oguri. I was introduced to this work by a Japanese friend shortly after it came out in 2002, and I devoured the volumes that were available at the time. It depicted the day to day life of this international couple and the bumps that they encountered along the road of their relationship. They eventually went on to have a child together, and since the first book went on sale this popular series has sold 3 million copies.
Tony is the name of Saori’s husband and he hails from the United States. He is Read More
WIT Life #99: Japan Day
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Reception at the residence of Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya (front left), accompanied by his lovely wife Yukiko and the author on her right
WITLife 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.
The heavens held out for this year’s Japan Day, despite the forecast of impending showers. I was at the residence of Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya on the Friday night before the event, and he assured all the guests that it would not be raining come Sunday. Sure enough, there was a huge amount of humidity but the skies were clear. The Ambassador himself made multiple appearances through the day, initially at the four mile run in Central Park that kicked off the event. I was one of the participants, and was happy to see him dressed as a samurai greeting runners as we began the race. Later in the day he was still in costume and made his way through the throngs of people attending the festivities in the East Meadow.
A new aspect of this year’s event, its fourth holding, was a samurai parade. This procession, led by the band from the NYPD, included Read More
WIT Life #98: 鳩山おろし
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WITLife 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.
This morning’s news was buzzing with the announcement that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will be stepping down from his position. This makes him the fourth PM in four years to quit, a statistic that will likely lead to some self-reflection in Japan. The 2 main reasons cited for his resignation were 1) 普天間問題 (Futenma mondai or the fate of the Futenma Marine Corps Air base on Okinawa) and 2) 政府と金 (seifu to kane or government and money, the investigations being carried out regarding Hatoyama’s political financing).
As for the former, Hatoyama directly apologized to Okinawans for his waffling on the matter and the loss of faith he had caused as a result. When on the street interviews were conducted with Okinawa residents, the response was largely one of disappointment and regret that Hatoyama was cutting and running. In terms of the latter, Hatoyama pledged to “return to a DPJ that separates government and money and to deal with the issue properly.”
The title of this post is 鳩山おろし (Hatoyama oroshi or “Down with Hatoyama”), referring to Read More
WIT Life #95: 事業仕分け
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WITLife 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.
The Japanese government is currently undertaking 事業仕分け (jigyo shiwake), budget screening or review and prioritization of government projects. This has become a buzzword since the DPJ came into office promising to eliminate wasteful government spending. The party sees this reassessment method as a potentially powerful way to chop budgets. It is being carried out to the point where no one knows where the ax will fall next.
In fact, the group I am currently interpreting for is here in the U.S. for a year through a program carried out by Japan’s National Personnel Authority and supported by the State Department. They are representatives of a variety of Ministries and will spend their time researching and producing papers on topics relating to their respective fields, with the hopes of applying this knowledge when they return home. However, they are concerned that due to jigyo shiwake there might not be a group to succeed them next year.
I recently received news from a friend at the Japan Local Government Center, the New York branch of the Council for Local Authority on International Relations (CLAIR), one of the sponsors of the JET program. He told me that Read More
JET alum Michael Auslin testifies before Congress
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JET alum Michael Auslin testified before Congress in April about the current state of U.S.-Japan relations. Auslin is a professor of Japanese history and politics and currently the Director of Japanese Studies for the American Enterprise Institute in D.C.
http://www.aei.org/speech/100137
by JET alum Michael Auslin
Mr. Chairman, Senator Inhofe, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the current state of U.S.-Japan relations, and to look ahead at the role the relationship will play in future economic and security developments for both countries. Despite current difficulties in the relationship, I believe that close ties with Japan are essential for the United States to retain a credible strategic position in East Asia and for future economic prosperity in both Asia and America. Yet we must also recognize that relations between the United States and Japan will be more tenuous over the next several years, requiring close communication and a frank assessment of how the relationship benefits each partner.
This past January, Washington and Tokyo observed the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Alliance, one of the most successful bilateral agreements in recent history. Yet the past seven months of the U.S.-Japan relationship have been consumed with a growing disagreement over whether Japan will fulfill the provisions of a 2006 agreement to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from its current crowded urban location to a more remote setting on the northern part of the island. Given that the state of U.S.-Japan relations concerns not only the economic relations between the world’s two largest economies, but directly influences the larger strategic position of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region, any substantive change in the U.S.-Japan alliance or in the political relationship that undergirds it could have unanticipated effects that might increase uncertainty and potentially engender instability in this most dynamic region.
To read the whole transcript, go here: http://www.aei.org/speech/100137
