Jan 7

Blog post about JET Programme on U.S. Embassy website

Blogs, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on Blog post about JET Programme on U.S. Embassy website

Mark Dieker with Japanese students in the mid-90s

The following link comes via JET alum Aurelien Hancou (Okayama-ken 2003-06), now a Senior Programme Coordinator at CLAIR. Hancou writes to share a guest blog post by Mr. Mark S. Dieker, Consul for Political and Economic Affairs at the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka:

http://zblog.japan.usembassy.gov/e/zblog-e20101221a.html

The post is a great testimony of the value and benefit of the JET Programme. Check it out!

Dec 14

Report: “Reinvigorating US-Japan Policy Dialogue and Study” and implications for JET

Academic, Article/Journalism, Japan Trends, JetWit Diary, Return on JET-vestment, Writers Comments Off on Report: “Reinvigorating US-Japan Policy Dialogue and Study” and implications for JET

There’s a very JET-relevant report just published by the Japan Center for International Exchange titled “Reinvigorating US-Japan Dialogue and Study.” (Notably, JET alum Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director for the US office of JCIE, was involved in the drafting of the report.)

Though the report only mentions the JET Program once (on page 33 of the report), it’s clear that the still largely untapped resource that is the JET alumni community of over 50,000 worldwide (25,000+ in the US) has the potential and the ability to play a significant role in US-Japan relations going forward given the decline in energy and resources devoted to US-Japan policy dialogue and study cited in the report.

The gist of the report is that “the institutional base of US-Japan policy dialogue and study has started to erode in recent years.”  However, the report also “finds fertile ground to deepen bilateral dialogue and better leverage the extensive human networks that have developed between the two societies.”

The main obstacles to reversing this trend appear to be:

1. a shrinking institutional base for US-Japan relations and failure to fully take advantage of available resources (e.g., the JET alum community);
2. reduced funds available in Japan to support these activities (due in a large part to a down economy); and
3. to some extent, increased interest in and focus on China

As JET alums, the above trends may be beyond our control.  But we are a big part of that extensive human network that needs to be leveraged.  And regardless of the obstacles, the ball is in our court to be part of the solution.  Tough times call for innovative solutions.

Gambarimashou.

Dec 8

Project: How much tourism revenue has JET generated for Japan?

Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Uncategorized Add Comment (7)

Update 5/9/11: CLICK HERE to read “Stories from the JET-Tourist Tally Project“

Update: We’ve set up a Google Form to collect responses as an alternative to doing this via e-mail.

*******

Thanks to the Japan National Tourism Organization for its help in spreading the word about this project.

The “JET-Tourists Tally Project“

Last updated:  05/09/2011 (Thanks to JETAA UK and JETAA DC for letting its members know about the survey!)

• Tourists brought to Japan by JETs: 2,009
• Visitor Days: 22,574
• Respondents: 347
• Estimated tourism revenue (¥10,000/day): ¥225,740,000 (about $2,687,381 @ US$1=84yen)
• Estimated tourism revenue per JET respondent: ¥650,548 (about $7,745 @ US$1=84yen)
• Conclusion? At a minimum, JETs generate the equivalent of 1/5 to 1/6 of their salary for the Japanese economy.  This is in addition to other returns on investment (e.g., diplomatic, financial and cultural) provided to Japan by participants in the JET Program.

(See further below for breakdown by prefecture.)

Here’s a simple way for every JET and JET alum to do their part to support the JET Programme and the JET Alumni Association.

• Just fill out this simple Google Form that we set up:  https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFFPeW5zdUZjQ3RZbEJJQ2IzNHJCZHc6MQ&ifq

or, if you prefer….

• E-mail visitors [at] jetwit.com and
• Tell us how many people you are personally responsible for causing to visit Japan (both during and since JET).

Please make sure to include:

1. Number of tourists (e.g., Mom + Dad + two brothers = 4 people)
2. Total number of days they stayed in Japan (e.g., If Mom & Dad + two brothers each stayed for 10 days, that’s 40 total days of tourist travel)
3. Your name + position on JET (ALT/CIR/SEA)
   
4. Your Prefecture + city/town and years on JET (e.g., 2006-10) (this is vital info!)
5. Any comments, stories or additional info you want to share

Nearly all of us had relatives and friends come and visit us in Japan.  Some of us have brought student groups and organized other exchanges.  All of this has provided tourism revenue for the Japanese economy.  The goal of this project is to determine, at a minimum, the amount of tourism revenue for which JET is directly responsible.

This information is particularly important amidst ongoing discussions of costs associated with the JET Programme and the JET Alumni Association.  Many of the short and long term benefits have simply not been factored in.  So email visitors@jetwit.com with your responses and let’s make sure this info does get factored in to future discussions.

We will continue to update the numbers in this post.  Please check back periodically for updates.

Note:  We are assuming a rather conservative estimate of Y10,000 per day (approximately $100) for all tourism expenditures combined (e.g., lodging, travel, food, entertainment and other tourist expenditures).  Some people flew Japanese airlines, others did not.  Some stayed in hotels, others stayed for free on the couch.  All in all, 10,000 yen/day is a very low-end estimate.

Special domo arigatou for their ongoing help with this project to Joe Silvagni (Nagasaki-ken, 2008-10), Mike Shu (Hyogo-ken, 2005-08) and Sam Lederer (Shizuoka-ken, 2005-07).

*******************

Read More

Dec 3

JetWit Diary 12.03.10

JetWit Diary, Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized Comments Off on JetWit Diary 12.03.10

JetWit Diary is a new feature by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94), founder and publisher of JetWit. Steven is available on a consulting basis to assist organizations with any membership building, social media consulting, creative communications and writing needs.

JET and the Local Government Challenge

In light of recent information about Aichi’s decision to forgo prefectural JETs and awareness that, in contrast, Hyogo and Kobe seem to be very supportive of JET, and after a suggestion by JETAANY President-to-be Monica Yuki that perhaps it would make sense to focus our energies on the the prefectures that are the most JET-friendly, I thought it would be a good idea to figure out statistically which prefectures or contracting organizations are making the most use of JETs.

To that end, further below (after the “Read More” break) is a list of the contracting organizations with the most JET ALTs.  (FYI, a “contracting organization” is a prefecture, city, board of education, etc. that allocates budget towards hiring JETs.)

In the meantime, I think it would also be very helpful to get a sense of why some contracting organizations continue to support and hire JETs while others do not.  So I’d like to request that any JETs and JET alums out there (especially CIRs) get in touch if you have any perspectives based on conversations or other interactions.

• Email responses to:  jetwit [at] jetwit.com
  

Generally speaking, of course, I’m well aware that tight budgets have a lot to do with the attrition.  But it might be helpful to dig a little deeper and know why JET is prioritized above or below other budget items.  Also, what factors might cause a contracting organization to change the way it views or prioritizes JET?  And perhaps any ways that some prefectures may have found to extract more value (short and long term) from having JETs that helps justify the expenditures.  e.g., Perhaps some prefectures have found successful ways to incorporate JETs into strong sister city relationships that continue to benefit the prefecture/city over time.

On a related note, thanks to conversations with knowledgeable JET alums, I now understand a bit more about how the relationship among budgets, the JET Program and dispatch companies such as Interac.  The central government used to provide a certain amount of funds to the local governments to hire JETs.  Now, as I understand it, the funds may be used to hire ALTs.  This means that the local governments can (and increasingly seem to) choose to hire ALTs via a dispatch company rather than JETs.  (There’s a whole separate issue on the legality of public schools hiring contract employees via dispatch companies, about which I know very little, but I don’t think it makes sense from a JETAA perspective to focus on that.)

JetWit Job Listings

JetWit is starting to get more and more job listings.  That’s because

1. We don’t charge to post job listings and circulate them to the JetWit Jobs Google group (because I never want to create barriers to JETs and JET alum access to job opportunities); and
2. We’ve gotten a few more U.S.-based Japanese staffing companies to see the light, i.e., that if they’re not posting their JET-relevant jobs on JetWit, they’re missing a huge opportunity.  (Though I do encourage them to make a contribution if they’re happy with the results and want to make sure that JetWit continues to exist for their benefit.)

If you know any staffing companies with JET-relevant job listings, tell them to email jetwit [at] jetwit.com and we’ll get them out to the community.

That’s all for this edition of JetWit Diary.  Have a Happy Chanukah and enjoy your bounenkais.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,

Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94)
Brooklyn, NY
jetwit [at] jetwit.com

******** Read More

Nov 30

US media coverage of Japan’s economy overly negative?

Article/Journalism, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on US media coverage of Japan’s economy overly negative?

There’s an excellent letter in the New York Times from Yasuhisa Kawamura of the Consulate General of Japan in New York in which he makes the case that U.S. media coverage of Japan’s economy has been overly negative.  The gist of it is, Sure, times are tough in Japan.  But they’re also tough in the U.S. and elsewhere.  Nonetheless, there’s still a vibrant economy and significant innovation and other activity going on in Japan.

If any JETs or JET alums or Friends of JET would like to weigh in on this, it would be nice to hear some first-hand perspectives from people who are currently living in Japan or travel back and forth frequently.

Here’s a link to the letter:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/opinion/lweb03japan.html?scp=1&sq=kawamura&st=cse

And here’s the full text of the letter:

To the Editor:

By oversimplifying and exaggerating certain socioeconomic aspects at the expense of the broader picture, “Japan Goes From Dynamic to Disheartened” (“The Great Deflation” series, front page, Oct. 17) depicts some interesting “trees” but misses the “forest” that is Japan today.

Unfortunately, the story’s few anecdotal views do not accurately reflect a diverse nation of 120 million people and one of the world’s largest economies. During these times of severe economic challenges around the globe, similarly pessimistic views about the future could surely be found in almost any Group of 8 country.

Far from being an “afterthought” weary of its global role, Japan remains committed to active leadership in the world. This international outlook is best reflected in Japan’s policies and the vibrancy of its young people. Take Afghanistan, where a $5 billion aid commitment supports 96,000 local policemen, has built 650 schools and has provided polio and other essential vaccines to 47 million children.

Additionally, Japanese youngsters, supported by the affluence of the past decades, enjoy diverse career choices, and, according to recent surveys, the most desirable job for Japanese university graduates remains working in the field of international trade.

Yasuhisa Kawamura
Director, Japan Information Center
Consulate General of Japan
New York, Oct. 29, 2010

Nov 16

JET ROI: Japan Times readers respond to Debito Arudou’s “Don’t Blame JET for Japan’s Poor English”

Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized Comments Off on JET ROI: Japan Times readers respond to Debito Arudou’s “Don’t Blame JET for Japan’s Poor English”

Back in September the Japan Times ran a column by Debito Arudou titled “Don’t Blame JET for Japan’s Poor English.”  The article defended JET against criticism of non-improving English test scores.  But it also waded into some generalizations that prompted some thoughtful responses.  (Thanks to CLAIR-NY’s Matt Gillam for the heads up.)

Click here to see all of the responses.

The final word on JET, for now

Arudou misses the mark

Debito Arudou’s recent article on the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Programme (Just Be Cause, Sept. 7) and many of the responses which followed (Have Your Say, Oct. 12):

I do agree that there are some systemic challenges educators must attempt to overcome in order to provide these kids with the English education they deserve. But Mr. Arudou’s arguments are so simultaneously inflammatory and reductive that I cannot believe a reputable publication would venture to publish them.

He is right to have concerns about the very real institutionalized handicaps in the Japanese educational system, but his ideas are so ill-articulated (“Group psychosis?” Are you kidding?) and, frankly, ignorant that I fear the real problems (and solutions) become lost in the muck.

The article itself misses the opportunity to shed light on what is actually happening in Japanese schools. Mr. Arudou is right to worry that cutting the program and withdrawing the significant foreign presence in Japan might be counter- productive, but I do not believe that that is because the Japanese are suffering from “eigo psychosis,” whatever that means. The “problems” are institutionalized at this point — a reflection of the greater cultural conflict Japan faces as it strives to look forward while staying rooted in history and tradition.

The push/pull between The Way Things Have Always Been Done and Read More

Nov 16

JET ROI: Shukan NY Seikatsu article on JETAANY Welcome Back Reception quotes Jim Gannon

JETAA Chapters, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on JET ROI: Shukan NY Seikatsu article on JETAANY Welcome Back Reception quotes Jim Gannon

Below is a copy of an article from Shukan NY Seikatsu (Weekly NY Life) about the JETAANY Welcome Back Reception held on November 6. The article includes some quotes from James Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) (Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), author of the July 3 “JET on the Chopping Block,” and one of the newest members of the JETAANY Board of Directors) that appeared in the November 5 op-ed written by James along with Michael Auslin (Director of Japan Studies at the American Enterprise Institute) and Paige Cottingham-Streater (Deputy Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation).

The article is titled, “JET Program as a bridge between the US and Japan: An alumni event held in New York City.”  It talks about the JET Program alumni event welcoming 23 new returnees who worked as ALTs or CIRs via the JET Program and who recently returned to the New York area. The article says that approximately 110 guests in total attended the event.  And Ambassador Nishimiya encouraged the new returnees in his speech saying, “I hope you will continue to do your part building bridges between the people of Japan and the United States.”  The article also introduces Mr. James Gannon as a JET alumnus and quotes from the Asahi Shimbun op-ed: “The JET Program is a ‘triumph of soft power’ in the US-Japan relations in the grassroots level.”  (Thanks to Noriko Furuhata of the Consulate General of Japan in New York for help with the translation.)

Nov 15

JET Program mentioned by PM Kan in meeting with President Obama

Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized Comments Off on JET Program mentioned by PM Kan in meeting with President Obama

According to some recent article in the Japanese press, Prime Minister Naoto Kan mentioned the JET Programme in his meeting with Obama, reaffirming the program’s importance.

This is of course a significant statement about the importance of the JET Program to Japan.

Here are two articles:

• Japan Today (English):  http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/kan-obama-discuss-rare-earths-other-clean-energy
• Chunichi Shinbun (Japanese):  http://www.chunichi.co.jp/s/article/2010111301000669.html

Here are some highlights from the Japan Today article:

Kan also told Obama that he aims to enhance bilateral exchanges between the two countries to include a wide range of people in five years.

The initiatives include sending young Japanese teachers and interns to the United States, as well as implementing such programs as promoting collaboration on education and two-way exchanges among universities in Japan and the United States, the officials said.

Kan also expressed concern about the declining number of Japanese students studying in the United States and voiced his intention to work more on this problem.

He also reaffirmed the importance of existing efforts, including the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, the officials said.

Nov 13

JET ROI: “Four Ex-Students Want to Keep JET – Yet we need to hear from more!”

Blogs, Return on JET-vestment, Writers Add Comment (2)

Gunma-ken JET alum and Florida JETAA Newsletter Editor Bahia Simons-Lane has a good post on her blog–Bahia Portfolio:  Posting about Japan, language and education–on the debate concerning benefits derived from the JET Programme.

http://bahiaportfolio.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/four-ex-students-want-to-keep-jet-yet-we-need-to-hear-from-more-students/

A little more about Bahia and her background:

Bahia was an Assistant Language Teacher at a girls’ high school in Gunma Prefecture for 2 years, then she worked for the Gunma Prefecture Board of Education as the Assistant Language Teacher’s Advisor. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in International and Intercultural Education.

Nov 12

Don’t believe the hype

Article/Journalism, JETs in the News, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on Don’t believe the hype

A recent post on InsideJapan News Network titled “Japan Plans US Teacher Training Scheme” cites a Daily Yomiuri article about a new proposed project to send Japanese teachers to the U.S. for two years of training.  The Yomiuri article suggests that if this new project were to go forward, it would mean the end of the JET Programme.

However, after checking with several well-versed sources both in and out of the Japanese government, it sounds like the article’s analysis is inaccurate.  Apparently, it would most likely be complementary program (if it even happens) and would not mean the end of the JET Programme.

To paraphrase one source, it wouldn’t make sense for President Obama to back a plan that would reduce the number of jobs for Americans.

Nov 5

JET ROI: JET alum op-ed in Asahi Shimbun – The JET Program is a ‘triumph of soft power’

Article/Journalism, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized, Writers Comments Off on JET ROI: JET alum op-ed in Asahi Shimbun – The JET Program is a ‘triumph of soft power’

Jim Gannon

The below op-ed titled “POINT OF VIEW: The JET Program is a ‘triumph of soft power’” appeared in the November 5, 2010 edition of the Asahi Shimbun.  It was written by three JET alumni with expertise in Japan-U.S. policy and relations:

• James Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) – Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) and author of the “Chopping Block” article.
• Michael Auslin – Director of Japan Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
• Paige Cottingham-Streater – Deputy Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation.

(Here’s the link for the original article on the Asahi Shimbun website:  http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201011040234.html)

POINT OF VIEW: The JET Program is a ‘triumph of soft power’

Michael Auslin

In its 23 years, the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program has brought more than 50,000 young foreigners to Japan, including over 25,000 Americans, to teach in the school system as well as to support international exchange activities.

Each of us grew to know Japan through our participation in the JET Program, and this experience has changed the direction of our careers and enriched our lives.

In fact, the JET Program has touched the lives of so many people who might otherwise not be exposed to Japanese society that it is regarded by many outside of Japan as the most successful public diplomacy initiative in the world over the last several decades.

Paige Cottingham-Streater

Therefore, we were especially dismayed to learn that it has been criticized in the last round of the budget screening process.

Since it was launched at the height of Japan-bashing in the late 1980s, the JET Program has produced an extraordinary legacy.

On the one hand, we would like to think that it has been beneficial for Japanese students and communities. We have heard many stories about how students’ personal interactions in the classroom with JET participants have made English into a “living language” for them and helped motivate them to use English for communication rather than just as an exam topic.

We get the sense that, in our globalizing world, even students who never mastered English have benefited from their interactions with JET participants from countries they may never have thought much about before.

The JET Program’s least recognized contribution, however, may be its most important. This is the remarkable success it has had as a public diplomacy program. By exposing thousands of young professionals to Japanese society, it has built up deep person-to-person ties between Japanese people and an entire generation of non-Japanese from around the world.

In our country, the United States, the impact of this program on U.S.-Japan relations is quite extraordinary. It is no exaggeration to say that it has become an important pillar of the bilateral relationship.

As they grow older, former JET participants have started to take important posts in government, business, and civil society, bringing their personal networks and a deep appreciation of the importance of strong U.S.-Japan relations to their everyday work.

In the U.S. government, for example, JET participants have worked on the frontlines of U.S.-Asia relations in the White House, the State Department and other agencies. Two JET alumni even ran for the U.S. Congress–Rob Cornilles, who ran on the Republican ticket in Oregon, and Dan Seals, a Democrat from Illinois.

Similarly, when one looks at the emerging generation of Japan experts in American academic circles and think tanks, it appears that the majority are graduates of the JET Program, many of whom may have otherwise taken a very different direction in their studies and careers.

This is true of the grassroots organizations that sustain U.S.-Japan relations, too. At least 4 of the 40 Japan-America Societies in the United States are headed by former JET participants.

In evaluating the contributions of the JET Program, it is important to keep in mind the role it is playing in strengthening the foundations of Japan’s engagement with the rest of the world and the world’s engagement with Japan. People who are immersed in Japanese communities tend to develop a lifelong connection to Japan, and we are just starting to reap the rewards of this far-sighted program.

In our rapidly changing world, where it is critical for countries to project an active global presence and where a robust U.S.-Japan partnership on a wide range of issues has become even more important, the connections built by the JET Program are an invaluable asset.

The JET Program has been a triumph of soft power. We are so grateful for the opportunity that has given us and believe that continuing the JET Program–and further strengthening it–is important for Japan and all of its friends around the world.

Oct 30

JET-Sister City List Project

Local Government, Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized Add Comment (10)

Update 11/10/10: Had a nice email exchange with Carlo Capua (Niigata-ken, 2000-02) who is on the Board of Directors for Sister Cities International, a global network of 2000+ cities who do exchanges with each other at different levels – teacher, humanitarian, governmental, elected official, etc.  According to Carlo, SCI is in almost 200 countries around the world.

Update 11/7/10: It turns out there’s a list on the CLAIR website of all of the cities/towns and sister cities: http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/05.cgi?n=U.S.A. (Though it doesn’t indicate whether there are JETs in the locale.)  Thanks to JETAA USA Country Rep Jessyca Wilcox for letting us know about this.)

Update 11/5/10: Thanks for all the responses so far.  Keep’em coming!

Welcome to the JET-Sister City List Project!

The Goal: To create a list of Japanese cities (and prefectures) where JETs lived that have a sister city relationship with another country.

How can you help? Email jetwit@jetwit.com with your name, prefecture, city/town and years on JET as well as any sister city relationships that your town had.  If you already see your city listed, email your name anyway so we can include you as well.

The Result: JetWit will add to the below list as responses are received.

The Purpose: To lay some groundwork that may help Japanese cities/prefectures that hosted JETs increase their “return on investment” from their initial investment.

(Note #1: There actually is a Japanese government publication that lists every Japanese sister city relationship.  However, it does not list any correlation with JETs.)

With all of the above in mind, please email your responses to jetwit@jetwit.com.  Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

1.  Hokkaidō

Hokkaidō

• Chitose-shi + Anchorage, Alaska – Sara (Salzer) Niwa (Hokkaido, Chitose-shi, 1999-2002)
• Iwamizama City + Pocatello, Idaho; Canby, Oregon; Acheng, China – Caroline Cronshaw (Hokkaido, 2006-09)  (Caroline adds that Iwamizawa sends several students to Pocatello each year, and Pocatello returns the favor by sending several of its students to Iwamizawa. There is a tower-shaped monument in front of Iwamizawa City Hall that symbolizes the friendship between Pocatello and Iwamizawa.)
• Sapporo-shi + Portland, Oregon – Liz Sheffield (Hokkaido-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95) (Liz adds, “I originally went to Sapporo for two weeks when I was in high school as part of a Sister City exchange delegation from Portland. Then six years later, I was placed in Sapporo as an AET. Thanks to my return to Sapporo , I was able to build an even stronger relationship with the Shibuyas, my host family from my original visit to Sapporo . Now, fifteen years after the JET Program, I am still in regular contact with the Shibuyas.”

2.  Tōhoku

Aomori Prefecture + Maine – Zack Bass (CIR Aomori-ken, Aomori-shi, 2006-Present) (Zack adds, “I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to be highly involved with promoting and coordinating our prefecture’s continuing relationship with our sister state of Maine in the USA. We have many exchange programs between schools and municipalities within Aomori Prefecture and local towns and schools in Maine that continue to this day. We are very proud of our strong exchange with Maine, and many of our JETs throughout the prefecture have invested much time and hard work in strengthening our ties. Recently, we have been working towards expanding the Maine & Aomori relationship even further by exploring fisheries, energy, and business exchange opportunities in addition to our long tradition of cultural and educational exchange.  I hope to get more of our JETs to contribute more about their local municipal based exchange programs in the next few weeks.Thank you for doing this!”)

• Hachinohe City +  Federal Way, Washington; Lanzhou, China
  • Beth Bryant (Aomori-ken, Hachinohe-shi 1993-94; Misawa-shi 1994-96)
  • Natalie Kruckenberg (Aomori-ken, Hachinohe-shi 2010- present) – Natalie adds:

Federal Way Exchange: When the Hachinohe International Exchanges and City Promotions Association (formed in September, 1990) met to discuss possible locations for a sister city, Tacoma of Pierce County was presented. Tacoma has a friendly relationship and had been exchanging with the Hachinohe Chamber of Commerce, the most recent exchange being in 1992. The Hachinohe Chamber of Commerce contacted the Mayor of Tacoma who introduced Hachinohe to a neighboring city, the City of Federal Way. After exchanges betwen the two cities, on August 1st, 1993, the Sister City agreement was signed. Since then the official visits and youth exchanges between Federal Way and Hachinohe have continued every year.

Lanzhou Exchange: The International exchanges with Lanzhou including Hachinohe Gas Cor. technical cooperations, yourth exchanges and inspectorates began back in 1983 when the 4th Hachinohe delegation traveled to Lanzhou. In April 1998, Hachinohe and Lanzhou signed a sister city agreement. Since then the official visits and youth exchanges between Federal Way and Hachinohe have continued every year.

• Misawa City + Wenatchee, Washington
  • Beth Bryant (Aomori-ken, Hachinohe-shi 1993-94; Misawa-shi 1994-96)
• Mutsu City + Port Angeles, Washington
  • Amy Miller (Aomori-ken, Mutsu-shi, 2006-11) Amy adds:  “Mutsu City and Port Angeles City have been sister cities for 15 years. Every year a group of select Junior High School students from Mutsu City visit Port Angeles City in January as Junior Ambassadors. They put on a “Japanese Culture Fair” at the middle school in Port Angeles to teach American students about Japanese culture. The high school students from Tanabu High School English class also visit Port Angeles every year. A mixed delegation of middle school, high school, and adults visits Mutsu once every two years.”
• Tsugaru-shi + Bath, Maine
  • Mike Moses (CIR Aomori-ken, 2010 – present) Mike adds:  “The friendship between Tsugaru and Bath, Maine has a long history. In 1889, the ‘Cheseborough,’ a ship built in Bath, Maine, tragically crashed off the coast of Shariki (now Tsugaru City). The people of Shariki nursed the surviving sailors back to health, and a friendship between the two cities has continued since. Since 1990, Bath and Tsugaru have coordinated a sister-city exchange program, in which delegations are sent every year to experience each other’s rich culture and history. Also, the Cheseborough Cup, an international swimming competition, is held in Tsugaru every year. The goal of the race is to eventually swim the 10,200 km distance between Bath and Shariki. We hope to continue and expand upon the current sister city relationship.”
• Tsuruta Town + Hood River, Oregon
  • Emma Sayers (CIR Aomori-ken, Tsuruta-cho, 2010-Current) – Emma adds:  “Tsuruta has had a sister city agreement with Hood River, Oregon, USA since 1977. The mayor of Tsuruta at that time (and at present), Mayor Nakano, had wished to bring internationalisation to Tsuruta by joining it with a similar city in the USA. Exchange visits between their respective residents, junior high school students and high school students take place every year. Tsuruta also employs a sister city English teacher from Hood River to visit local kindergartens and primary schools alongside the JET Programme CIR. It’s an extremely well-cultivated sister city relationship, and I’m honoured to be able to help out with the events and visits! Good luck with the JET-Sister City List Project, it’s a great idea and I hope this helps a little. I’ve not been in Tsuruta long but I love it, and I think the sister city agreement has a lot to do with that as everyone here has been so welcoming.

Iwate Prefecture

• Esashi City + Shepparton, Australia; Reutte/Breitenwang, Austria
  • Therese Stephens (Iwate-ken, Esashi-shi, 1996-99)
• Kitakami-shi + Concord, California; Shibata-shi, Miyagi-ken, Japan; Sanmenxia, Henan Province, China
  • Margie Wiggins (Iwate-ken, Kitakami-shi, 2010-Present)
  • Margie adds:  “I have worked a little with the Rotary Club in town and know they sometimes send representatives (typically businessmen) to Concord, California to visit and learn more about the city; however, I am not sure what relationship, if any, has been built and fostered with our other two sister cities. The Rotary is also active in sponsoring a Rotary Youth International Exchange of Short-Term, which consists of two groups of ten high school students (from both Iwate-ken and Miyagi-ken) visiting Texas and Oklahoma (I apologize I cannot remember the exact cities) in March every year.  American students from these cities then travel here in June and July respectively.”
    

Miyagi Prefecture + Delaware

• Shichigahama-machi + Plymouth, Massachusetts – Doug Durgee (CIR Miyagi-ken, 2006-07) (Doug adds that they alternate sending kids on a short one or two week trip every year and used to also send kids on a one-year exchange program, though the funding for the one-year exchange program may have dried up in the past couple years.)
• Sendai-shi + Riverside, CA; Rennes, France; Acapulco, Mexico; Minsk, Belarus; and Gwangju, S. Korea; Dallas, TX is also listed as a friendship city. – Nata Nam (Miyagi-ken, Sendai-shi, 2007-09) (Nata also shared a link to a nice article about collaboration on a symposium between Tohoku University and University of California-Riverside:  http://newsroom.ucr.edu/news_item.html?action=page&id=2481 Thanks also to Dough Durgee for additional sister city info.)
• Tome-shi + Southlake, Texas; Vernon, British Columbia – Jennifer Wang (Miyagi-ken, 2008-09) (Jennifer adds that Southlake, TX is her hometown, and she actually became interested in JET through the Sister Cities exchange program. Every year, Tome and Southlake send student ambassadors to the other’s city. They switch off each year for adults from the Tome International Friendship Association and Southlake Sister Cities. She said she doesn’t know as much about the program with Vernon, but when she was there, a large adult delegation from Vernon visited.)

Akita Prefecture

• Kisakata-machi + Anacortes, Washington – Brett Rawson (Akita-ken, Nikaho-shi, Kisakata-machi, 2007-09)
• Noshiro-shi + Wrangell, Alaska – Stephanie Boegeman (ALT Akita-ken Noshiro-shi 2006-2009); Andrew McCarthy (Akita-ken, Noshiro-shi, Futatsui-machi, 2005-08) (Andrew notes that the actual town he lived in, Futatsui-machi, merged with Noshiro in 2006, though it does not appear to have a separate sister city of its own.)

Yamagata Prefecture + Colorado

• Kahoku Town + Canyon City, Colorado – Alex Stevenson (Yamagata-ken, Kahoku-machi, 2000-03)
• Yamagata City +  Boulder, Colorado – Jessica (Oppenheim) Moy (CIR Yamagata-ken, Yamagata-shi, 2003-06)  (Jessica adds, “While in high school, I participated on two sister state/prefecture trips to Yamagata, Japan and loved it. After graduating from Colorado State University, I ended up returning to Yamagata City as a CIR on the JET program. My big project at the end of my stay was holding a Bolder-Boulder race in Yamagata. Boulder and Yamagata have many sister city exchanges not only with government, citizen, and student exchanges, but also with rotary.”)

Fukushima Prefecture

3.  Kantō

Ibaraki

• Tsukuba-shi + Irvine, California
  • Beth Yamamuro (Tochigi-ken, Ashikaga-shi, 1987-1989)  Beth adds:  “While living in Irvine, California I helped the local sister cities organization as well as the city officers in their exchanges with their sister city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki-ken. It was kind of funny how the visitors from Tsukuba would always try to hide the fact that they would also be visiting another California sister city, Milpitas. It was like they were having a secret affair.”

Tochigi

• Ashikaga-shi + Springfield, Illinois
  • Beth Yamamuro (Tochigi-ken, Ashikaga-shi, 1987-1989)  Beth adds:  “Ashikaga has a continuing sister city relationship with Springfield, Illinois, thanks largely to the efforts of my predecessor, Monbusho English Fellow Linda Benoit (the last MEF year before JET was initiated). I just re-visited my town after 23 years and was unable to meet one of my favorite Japanese teachers because she was chaperoning a delegation to Springfield.”

Gunma

Saitama + Ohio, USA (Thanks to Michelle Elliott for the info.)

• Koshigaya City + Campbelltown, NSW, Australia – Michelle Elliott (Saitama-ken, 1999-2002)

Chiba + Wisconsin

• Chiba City + Houston, Texas – Lisa Hannabach (Chiba-ken, Chiba-shi, 1990-91, Yachiyo-shi, 1992-95)
• Ichikawa-shi + Gardena California – Lisa Hannabach (Chiba-ken, Chiba-shi, 1990-91, Yachiyo-shi, 1992-95) (Lisa was a private ALT in Ichikawa from 1995-2000.)
• Ichihara City + Mobile, Alabama– Ryan Hart (Chiba-ken, Ichihara-shi)
  • “Ichihara shares a sister city relationship with Mobile, Alabama. There were a total of 8 teachers in Ichihara when I lived there. 7 of them where through the JET Program. 1 of them was hired directly through the sister city relationship with Mobile. So technically, we didn’t have a JET from Mobile, but we did have a teacher that was essentially a JET each year.”
• Narashino-shi + Tuscaloosa, Alabama – [JET? ___________]
• Narita City + Naestved (Denmark) since 2003; Xianyang-city (China) since 1988; San Bruno, California; Jeongeup-city (South Korea); Jung-Gu of Incheon-city (South Korea)since 1998
  • Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, Narita-shi, 2006-11)  (FYI, Celine is currently the Volunteer Self-Support Group Leader for the French-speaking community of JET.)

• Yachiyo-shi + Tyler, Texas – Lisa Hannabach (Chiba-ken, Chiba-shi, 1990-91, Yachiyo-shi, 1992-95)

Tokyo

Kanagawa

• Yokohama-shi + Vancouver, British Columbia; San Diego, California – Ilonka Osvald (Yokohama-shi, 1996-98) (Ilonka adds, “Vancouver and Yokohama have been sister cities for a long time, and there were quite a few JETS in my year who were placed due to the sister city connection (mainly Vancouver and San Diego).”

4.  Chūbu

Niigata

Toyama

Ishikawa

• Kanazawa City + Buffalo, New York; Jeonju, Korea; Nancy, France; Ghent, Belgium; Irkutsk, Russia; Porto Alegre, Brazil; Suzhou, China – Sophie Bocklandt (Belgian CIR Ishikawa-ken, Kanazawa-shi, 2006-11)

Fukui

• Fukui City + New Brunswick, NJ
  • Beata Wilk (Fukui-ken, Fukui-shi/Harue-cho, 2004-08)

Being from NJ I found out as soon as I arrived in Fukui about the sister city between my state and Fukui Prefecture. Fukui-ken usually recieved a number of NJ JETs every year– I believe at the request of the Fukui BOE but I can’t be sure of that. What I do know about the relationship for sure is that:

From the mid-1800s local governments in Fukui, Japan sent students to New Brunswick to learn English and study at Rutgers College. Fukui City sent their student in 18671. These historic ties and exchanges continued for over a century and led to formal agreements being signed with New Brunswick and Fukui in 1982.

As for the New Brunswick, NJ- Fukui-shi relationshsip, to the best of my knowledge this Rutgers University exchange still continues.

Fukui City also has a high school exchange. It is rather competitive and the exchange between NJ and Fukui only happens once every 2 or 3 years. (In the other years there is an exchange between Fukui and a sister city in China). High school students can apply for the program and if chosen, they get to go to a high school in NJ for about two months (if I remember correctly). The exchange is to New Providence High School (New Providence, NJ) and one more NJ high school (unfortunantly I do not remember the other school). They students stay with host families while in NJ and there is always an orientation for the high school students to prepare them for NJ. The Fukui BOE asks some NJ JETs to help in the orientation. We attended about 4 or 5 sessions, in the first few we made presentations about New Jersey geography, places of interest, food, etc. Then in groups we told the Japanese students about high school life in New Jersey and answered their questions. In later sessions, the Japanese students presented about Fukui Prefecture. We gave them an audience to practice on but also helped them expand, edit, and tweak their presentations so that they would be better addressed to NJ High School students.

Side note:

Since then New Brunswick has also established 3 other sister city ties, one more with Japan.

Fukui also has sister city ties with a few other cities, but I believe they are all in other countries. I know the Fukui International Activities Plaza (FIA) has all the information displayed- unfortunantly I do not remember much of it besides NJ relationships.

Yamanashi + Iowa:  The sister-state relationship is detailed in the book “Sweet Corn and Sushi,” the story of Iowan farmers who donated 35 hogs to livestock farmers in Yamanashi after a typhoon devastated the area, according to a Japan Times article:  http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100408a3.html (Thanks to Renee Tress (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-09) for the info and link.)

• Kiyosato region + Kentucky – Apparently most JETs in the Kiyosato region are from Kentucky.  More info at http://www.city.hokuto.yamanashi.jp/hokuto_wdm/html/English/15558004369.html (Thanks to Renee Tress (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-09) for the info and link.)
• Nirasaki-shi + Fairfield, California – Renee Tress (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-09) (Renee also shared a link to a Facebook page for this long-running sister city relationship:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairfield-Nirasaki-Sister-City-Program/218241943857?v=info)

Nagano

• Nagano-shi + Clearwater, FL – Ravi Kumar (CIR Nagano-ken, Nagano-shi, 1998-2001) (Ravi adds, “It was a fairly active relationship. We arranged for 3 english teachers every year from Clearwater to come to live and work in middle schools in Nagano City. We had Japanese teachers of English go to Clearwater during their summer months to improve and learn English. During the summer, we also had a student exchange where 12 students from Nagano would visit Clearwater and 12 students from clearwater would visit Nagano.)

Gifu

• Gifu City + Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Kathy Crutcher (Gifu-ken, Hozomi-cho (now Mizuho-shi), 2000-01)  Kathy adds that her hometown is Cincinnati, which is why she was placed near Gifu City.
• Ikeda-cho + Mililani, Hawaii – Dylan Gen Fujitani (Gifu-ken, Ikeda-cho, 2005-07)  (Dylan indicated that he’s not clear if the relationship is between towns or just between schools.  But still nice to know about.)
• Takayama City + Denver, Colorado – Anna Thompson (Gifu-ken, Takayama-shi, 2002-04)  (Editor’s note:  I visited Takayama several times.  It’s up in the mountains and beautiful.  I remember one of my principals explaining to me that back in the days before everyone honeymooned in Hawaii, Takayama was a popular honeymoon destination.)

Shizuoka

• Kakegawa-shi + Eugene, Oregon – Andrew Osanka (Shizuoka-ken, Kakegawa-shi and Mori-machi, 1991-94)

Aichi

• Kariya-shi + Missassauga, Ontario – Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94)
• Toyohashi-shi + Toledo, OH – Justin Moy (Aichi-ken, Toyohashi-shi, 2008-10) (Justin notes that as of 2010-11, there will be no more prefectural JETs in eastern Aichi)
• Toyokawa-shi + Cupertino, California – [JET? __________]
• Toyota City + Detroit, Michigan – [JET? _______] [Editor’s note:  Toyota is next to Kariya, and as I recall they hired ALTs directly and not through the JET Program or a private company such as Interac (which didn’t even exist back when I was there.)]

5.  Kansai

Mie

Shiga

• Nagahama-shi + Augsburg, Germany & Verona, Italy (Thanks to James Low (Shiga-ken, Nagahama-shi, 2009-11) for the info.)

Kyoto

• Kameoka-shi + Stillwater, Oklahoma [JET ______?] (Thanks to Stillwater, OK native Brad Rickelman (Saitama-ken, Hatogaya-shi, 1995-96) for the info.)
• Kyoto-shi + Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – (Thanks to Eric Hawkinson (Kyoto-fu, 2005-10) for the info.)
• Miyazu-shi + Del Ray Beach, Florida; Nelson, New Zealand – Eric Hawkinson (Kyoto-fu, 2005-10)  (Eric, fyi, is the creator of the ALT website resource TeamTeachers.com.)

Osaka

• Izumi City + Bloomington, Minnesota – Kate Maruyama (Osaka-fu, Izumi-shi, 2005-08) (FYI, Kate grew up and went to college in Minnesota.)
• Ibaraki City + Minneapolis, Minnesota – [Any JETs?_______] (Thanks to Kare Maruyama for sharing the info.)
• Osaka City + Chicago, Illinois – Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99)

Hyōgo Prefecture + Seattle, Washington – [JET? __________]

• Himeji City + Phoenix, Arizona – [JET? __________]
• Nishimiya City + Spokane,  Washington – Anna Amen (Hyogo-ken, Nishimiya-shi, 2007-08)
• Nishiwaki-shi + Renton, Washington – Mitchell Kimura (Hyogo-ken, Nishiwaki-shi, 1995-97) (Mitchell notes that Nishiwaki-shi is the “belly-button” of Japan. :-)

Kobe + Philadelphia (Thanks to James Low (Shiga-ken, Nagahama-shi, 2009-11) for the info.)

Nara

Wakayama

6.  Chūgoku

Tottori

• Nichinan-cho + Scotts Valley, California
  • Clara Solomon (Tottori-ken, Nichinan-cho, 1999-2001) (Clara said, however, that she thinks the sister city program may not still exist due to funding cuts.)
• Yurihama-cho (formerly Hawai-cho) + Hawaii County, Hawaii (Editor’s note:This is the first example of a county having a sister city relationship that I’ve come across.)
  • Mark Fujishige (Tottori-ken, Yurihama-cho, 2008-11)
  • Michelle Otake (Tottori-ken, Yurihama-cho, 1995-98)
  • Matt Ackerman (CIR Tottori-ken, Yurihama-cho, Current as of 2010)

Michelle adds:

“I was the first permanent JET ALT stationed in that town originally/formerly called Hawai-cho, Tottori-ken from 1995 to 1998. At that time Mayor Masanao Inoue, a big advocate of fostering international relationships and “opening” up the town to the world which included participating in the JET Program, asked me to help them build a sister city friendship with my home state Hawaii. To sum up a long story of mostly disappointing phone calls and letters, good fortune finally came to me when I contacted Mr. Rudy Legaspi, who was the Executive Assistant to the Mayor of the County of Hawaii. Mr. Legaspi expressed great enthusiasm and support in establishing sister city ties with Hawai-cho. In 1996 Ms. Yukiko (Kametani) Yamasaki, a local Hawai-cho Town Office employee and liaison for Mayor Inoue’s Office, and I flew over to the city of Hilo, Hawaii and formerly met up with the County of Hawaii officials, including Mr. Legaspi and Mayor Stephen K. Yamashiro, to set up the initial groundwork for the sister city friendship. On October 16, 1996, Mayor Inoue of Hawai-cho, Tottori-ken and Mayor Yamashiro of the County of Hawaii, Hawaii officially cemented a sister city friendship.”

“Due to mostly economic reasons, many towns and villages across Tottori prefecture and the rest of Japan from 2001 to 2005 were swallowed up, readministered, and renamed in municipal mergers. In 2005 Hawai-cho along with Togo-cho and Tomari-son became Yurihama-cho. And the sister city friendship between Yurihama-cho and Hawaii County is still very much alive and well.”

Matt adds:

“Prior to 2004, one of the towns that was merged into what is now Yurihama-cho was known as Hawai-cho. In order to take advantage of this name, the chamber of commerce started to promote the town as “The Hawai of Japan” in the 90’s. In 1995, the town got its first ALT from Hawaii(in America), Michele Otake. It’s my understanding that she did most of the legwork in searching for and getting in contact with a suitable sister city.”

“With the exception of Honolulu, local government in the state of Hawaii is all organized on the county level, so I assume that’s why we have this relationship with a county rather than a particular city. Also, my guess is they were probably going for the matching name as well.”

“Since establishing this relationship, our town has enjoyed regular visits of government and chamber of commerce officials both to and from Hawaii. We have also welcomed a group of musicians and dancers from Hawaii to perform in the hula festival we hold every year. In addition, we have been conducting a school exchange/home stay program for middle school students since 1998, The town has been utilizing a CIR to help coordinate all of these activities since about 2000 or 2001.”

Shimane

• Fujiyoshida-shi + Colorado Springs, CO (Thanks to Jessyca Livingston (Shimane-ken, Fujiyoshida-shi) for the info.)
  • According to Jessyca on 08.06.12:  “Colorado Springs, CO and Fujiyoshida-shi, Shimane-ken just celebrated their 50th anniversary this past weekend. A group of Rocky Mountain JET Alums were present to both participate and offer translation services for the 150 delegates that were here for the celebration. It was really wonderful to connect with so many alums- especially the ones from Colorado Springs that had been “posted” to Fujiyoshida on JET. It was a great feeling to be able to give back in that capacity!”

Okayama

• Kurashiki-shi + Kansas City, MO (Thanks to Kansas City native William Nealy (Oita-ken, Oita-shi, 1994-97) for the info.)

Hiroshima

• Fukuyama-shi + Maui, Hawaii; Hamilton, Ontario; Pohang City, Korea; Tacloban City, Philippines; Kazanlak, Bulgaria – Shaula Evans (CIR Hiroshima-ken, Fukuyama-shi, 1992-94)

Yamaguchi

7.  Shikoku

Tokushima

• Miyoshi-shi + The Dalles, Oregon & Tukwila, Washington – Smitha Pradhi (Tokushima-ken, 2005-07); Andrew Kim (Tokushima-ken, Miyoshi-shi, 2005-08) (Smitha explains that the towns of Ikeda-cho and Ikawa-cho had long-running sister-city relationships with these two U.S. towns respectively, and then merged with a few other towns to become Miyoshi-shi during a 2006 gappei).  (Andrew adds, “I was a 3-year JET and now head the committee in Tukwila, WA. The Miyoshi-Tukwila Sister City relationship currently focuses on a cultural exchange between Junior High School students but has expanded to High School students and Adults. At this time, Tukwila hosts Miyoshi citizens every other Autumn while Miyoshi hosts Tukwila every other Spring. We have established this exchange since November 19, 1979.”
• Tokushima-shi + Saginaw, Michigan; Leira, Portugal; Dangong City, China – Olivia Nillson (Tokushima-ken, Tokushima-shi, 2006-09) (Olivia adds, “Every year, students from Tokushima would travel to Saginaw, and vice versa. While I was there, we had a choral group from Saginaw visit and give concerts in the city.”)

Kagawa

• Takamatsu-shi + St. Petersburg, Florida – Lily Lam (Kagawa-ken, Takamatsu-shi, 2004-09); Dave Wilson (Kagawa-ken, Kotohira-cho, 2008-10) (Lily adds, “Every year, St. Pete sends over someone to teach as an ALT at one of the local Takamatsu high schools. Delegations of students from Takamatsu also get sent to visit St. Pete every once in a while, and vice versa (see press release). I was completely unaware of the sister city relationship between St. Pete and Takamatsu, until I arrived in Takamatsu and found a disproportionately large number of people who actually knew where St. Petersburg was.”

Ehime

• Matsuyama City + Sacramento, California; Freiberg, Germany – Stewart Andrew Curry (Ehime-ken, Matsuyama-shi, 1987-89 – when the acronym was “AET” rather than “ALT)

Kōchi

• Motoyama-cho + Urausu-cho, Hokkaido, Japan – Margie Banin (Kochi-ken, Motoyama-cho, 2005-07) (Margie, fyi, is an “Expat Coach” and is also in the process of setting up a company to lead tours to Shikoku!  Margie adds, “Yes, Motoyama’s sister city is Japanese! Apparently there is a link because Motoyama families emigrated up there at some point – not sure when, not sure how many, but enough to have a strong connection – and both cities want to keep the ties strong. The junior highs do field trips annually, one year MJH goes north, the next UJH comes south. Also, the yakuba have an employee exchange, where each year a Motoyama employee goes to Urausu and an Urausu employee comes to Motoyama in exchange. Urausu has a booth at Motoyama’s festival in the fall. And so on & so forth. Those are the main activities that I recall. The relationship is very much alive, strong & well.”)

8.  Kyūshū

Fukuoka

• Fukuoka-shi + Atlanta, Georgia + Oakland, California + Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Brian Hersey (Fukuoka-ken, Fukuoka-shi, 1994-96)
  • Sharon Tatro (Fukuoka-ken, Fukuoka-shi, 2002-07 – Sharon is a Co-President of JETAA Southern California)
  • Taea Takagi (Fukuoka-ken, Nogata-shi, 2006-08 – and a Hawaii native)
  • Kelsey Soma Turek (Fukuoka-ken, Fukuoka-shi, 2005-07 and current President of JETAA Hawaii) (Kelsey notes that the sister city relationship is why Fukuoka has a lot of Hawaii JETs.)
  • (Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, 2002-06) who is an active member of JETAA Northern California, reports that he’s currently involved in developing a partnership between the Oakland-Fukuoka Sister City Association (OFSCA) and JETAA Northern California.)
  • Mark Juloya (Fukoka-ken, Kaho-machi, 2004-07) (Mark is currently serving as the Treasurer for JETAA Southern California.)

Saga

Nagasaki

• Nagasaki City + St. Paul’s, Minnesota – [Any JETs?_____] – (Thanks to Kate Maruyama for sharing the information.)
• Sasebo City + Albequerque, New Mexico – Kate Meyer (Nagasaki-ken, 2006-10) (Kate notes that there is a large number of JETs in Nagasaki-ken who are from Minnesota.)

Kumamoto + Montana, USA (Thanks to Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, 2002-06) for the info.)  (Kathy Laubach adds, “To the best of my knowledge, Montana [state] and Kumamoto Prefecture share a “sister” relationship and perhaps this is worth mentioning so as not to have people assume the relationships are only between Kumamoto and Billings and Helena in Montana.”)

• Kumamoto City + San Antonio, Texas; Billings, Montana; Helena, Montana; Heidelberg, Germany; Guilin, China; Bristol, United Kingdom; Ulsan, South Korea – Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, Kumamoto-shi, 2002-06), Angela Riu Gordon (Kumamoto-ken, Kumamoto-shi, 2004-06); Kathy Laubach (CIR Kumamoto-ken, Kumamoto-shi, 2003-06)

Ōita

Miyazaki

Kagoshima

• Amami City (formerly Naze City) + Nacogdoches, Texas – Barbara “Chieko” Rothengass (Kagoshima-ken, Naze-shi, 2003-06) (Barbara is the chapter president for JETAA Texoma and notes that McMichael Middle School does a student exchange with Amami-shi.)

Okinawa

• Ishigaki City + Kauai County, Hawaii; Suao City, Taiwan – Troy Nakamura (CIR Okinawa-ken, Ishigaki-shi, 2005-07)

Oct 28

JET ROI: Why JET Matters – Japanese language education, national security and the future of US-Japan relations

Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on JET ROI: Why JET Matters – Japanese language education, national security and the future of US-Japan relations

In a recent discussion on the JETAA Education Professionals LinkedIn Group, JET alum and Japanese language consultant Beth Yamamuro shared some perspectives and thoughts on the decline in administrative support for Japanese language study.  Beth’s comments prompted Matt Gillam, a long-time CLAIR-NY staff member and a graduate of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, to offer some useful insights into the role of JETs and the JET Programme in the bigger picture of US-Japan relations.

With their permission, and with the aim of helping to make the JET and JET alum community more aware of its role in the bigger picture, JetWit is posting their comments below.  (For the record, Matt’s comments are his own personal views and are not on behalf of CLAIR-NY):

Here are Beth’s comments:

I did want to share with you what I’m learning in the Japanese Language Teaching class I posted about earlier. It seems there is sort of a crisis in the Japanese as a second language field these days. Despite a growing number of students in classes, there is a decreasing amount of financial and administrative support. Japanese is not a strategically important language to the US like Chinese and Korean are, so there are fewer (or no?) government grants to study it. The Chinese government is subsidizing many Mandarin education programs within the US, and as a result some institutions are giving up their Japanese programs in favor of Chinese. Having bilingual speakers of English and Japanese IS strategically important to Japan, and the JET program is a unique system already in place to support the development of large groups of such speakers.

Another issue in which the JET program could play a part is the lack of qualified teachers of Japanese. With the increasing emphasis on standards in all levels of foreign language education, teacher training for the specific education community involved is more important than ever. JET participants tend to be people who are in some way interested in education, and many go on to be teachers on returning to their home country, whether or not that was their original career plan.

Here are Matt’s comments:

This is a really interesting report on what’s going on with Japanese language education recently, and in my opinion it reflects an extremely short-sighted policy shift by the U.S. government just when it’s becoming clear (again) that we need Japan as an ally to deal with an increasingly belligerent China and an increasingly (who’d have thought it possible?) unstable Korean Peninsula.  I think Japan is slowly beginning to come out of its recent phase of thinking the US-Japan security alliance is merely burdensome and no longer particularly relevant, and China was their new best buddy.  However, the events of the past few weeks, especially, have the US and Japan both realizing that China is not growing into the steady, dependable partner we’d all been hoping for.  It is doubly unfortunate that Japan herself has not made any efforts to counter this growing neglect and promote Japanese language acquisition or actively cultivate those who have an interest in becoming teachers.  As far as I know, there is only the JET Program to fill this void.

Each country is important in its own way and each requires attention.  China, despite recent tensions, is a vital component of the world economy and a critical trading partner for the US and Japan, besides being an indispensable player in addressing security and environmental issues.  They also possess a rich and ancient culture and history.  It is likely that political and economic realities will eventually compel them to soften their ham-handed, nationalistic approach to dealing with other countries, but when that might happen is unclear.  South Korea has become the steadier partner in many ways, partly because they have made extensive efforts to strengthen ties with the US and to appeal to American feelings of goodwill toward an old ally and trading partner.  But South Korea is vulnerable in ways Japan is not, and with their smaller economy and more limited capabilities in economic and security terms they are no replacement for Japan.

We cannot maintain a significant presence in Northeast Asia and thereby maintain credibility with our security partners as a counterweight to China without our bases in Japan (read, primarily, “Okinawa”), and to keep those bases we need people who can work with the Japanese and understand their needs and concerns, and not blunder through crises like the Pentagon and the Administration did with the new Hatoyama administration and the Futenma fiasco.

Everyone got lulled into thinking the US-Japan relationship was rock-solid and boring and could cruise along on auto-pilot without anyone actively managing it.  That, along with being dazzled by the rise of China, South Korea’s great success in democratizing and building itself into an economic powerhouse (albeit on a smaller scale than Japan or China) in Northeast Asia, and the two wars in the Mid-east/South Asia, have led to a deeply unfortunate neglect of Japan and the pivotal role the country plays in keeping Asia and the world stable.  We had hoped China would take the path of integrating into the world economy and governance structure as a responsible player, but, at least for the moment, they have chosen to emphasize nationalism and uncompromising self-interest instead.  That is not good news for Japan or the US, obviously.

As student exchanges and other ties between Japan and the US wither, JET becomes one of the few initiatives to consistently maintain a flow of people between the two countries, and is, I think, thereby critical in supporting that larger security relationship.

Oct 27

JET ROI: NY’s Consulate-General of Japan, JET alumni make mighty combo

Article/Journalism, Interview/Profile, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on JET ROI: NY’s Consulate-General of Japan, JET alumni make mighty combo

Oct 18

JET ROI: “JET Programme, JET Alumni Vital to the Future of U.S.-Japan Relations”

Return on JET-vestment, Uncategorized Add Comment (1)

The below article appeared in the Summer 2010 Issue of the JLGC Newsletter.

“JET Program, JET Alumni Association Vital to the Future of U.S.-Japan Relations”

by Matthew Gillam, Senior Researcher and Chizuko Kawamura, Assistant Director, Japan Local Government Center (aka CLAIR-New York)

JETAA New York hosted the JETAA USA National Conference from August 12 to 15, with 42 representatives from 18 of the 19 US chapters (except Alaska) and the three US Country Representatives participating.

Since a review of CLAIR’s overseas offices and the JET Program was conducted by the Government Revitalization Unit in May, and support for JETAA was among the activities under administrative review by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June and July, this year’s conference was focused much more than usual on explaining the role of the JET Program and JETAA in efforts to improve the English language ability of the Japanese and to promote international exchange in Japan.

The first main session on this topic took place on the morning of Friday, August 13. Mr. Yasuhisa Kawamura, the director of the Japan Information Center at the Consulate General of Japan in New York, explained the position of the Ministry after their recent review. During his talk he emphasized that the Ministry understands the importance of JETAA’s vital role in the US-Japan relationship and will continue supporting the alumni. However, this support will be strictly limited to activities and events which enable former JETs to be diplomatic assets for Japan, or which improve the quality of future JETs. He concluded his remarks with his “Three Cs” for future relations, “Confidence, Caution and Cooperation”, and asked for pragmatism rather than excessive optimism or pessimism in dealing with the current situation. As to CLAIR’s position, Mr. Matthew Gillam explained CLAIR’s current situation and future support for JETAA, saying that the continuing fiscal difficulties facing local governments make it difficult for CLAIR to promise to maintain current funding levels in the coming years. He concluded by saying it is very important that we gain the support of local governments for JETAA activities. These presentations were followed by a lengthy discussion by attendees on ways to address the issues raised in various criticisms of JET and JETAA in Japan.

The other main session was Read More