Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Educational Programs Coordinator
Posted by: Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan
Location: Washington, DC
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Sarah Morris (Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, 2016-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

Description:
The Japan Information & Culture Center (JICC), Embassy of Japan, is seeking a highly motivated, team-oriented individual for the position of Educational Programs Coordinator. The main responsibilities of this position include coordinating and presenting educational programs on Japan and Japanese culture, creating engaging educational content, managing the Embassy of Japan’s involvement in the Embassy Adoption Program, and managing the internship program. Please see below for a more detailed list of responsibilities. 

The Embassy offers group health insurance coverage, paid vacation, and sick leave. Working hours are 9 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday with weeknight and/or weekend events several times a month (paid overtime). Salary is commensurate with experience. The monthly pay range for this position is USD $3, 500-5,300.

Please note: Successful candidates must be able to provide proof of legal authorization to work in the United States. Screening will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Only successful candidates will be contacted. Successful candidates will be requested to submit their background check information.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Office Clerk
Posted by: Quick USA
Location: Houston, Texas, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Carlos Medina (Oita, 2019-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

A Japanese Company Food Company located in the Houston, TX area is currently looking for a full time, fully onsite Office Clerk to take care perform clerical duties, assist with record filings/reports and support other departments as needed among other duties.

This position requires business or native level and 1-3 years of previous office-related experience. The mastery of basic level Japanese and/or Chinese (read, write, listen) would be preferred.

Working hours would be from 9-6 from Monday through Friday.

DOE and experience, the pay range for this position would be around the 35k-41k

Your essential duties would be as followed:

• Greets and directs visitors at the front desk. Answers, screens, and forwards incoming calls to the appropriate personnel.
• Operates office machines such as copiers, scanners, PCs, phones, and voice mail system to perform clerical duties
• Updates and maintains business insurance, contracts, registration, and general business license
• Orders for office supplies as requested by departments
• Assists record filings, report/form typing, memo or letter preparations for management.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Overseas Admissions Counselor (Student Recruiter) 
Posted by: Temple University, Japan Campus
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Temple University, Japan Campus for passing along the following job opening.

TUJ moved to its brand-new campus with about 1300 undergraduate students in 2019 and grew to a vibrant campus with 2500 students by 2024. TUJ seeks a motivated and outgoing admissions counselor for its overseas markets worldwide to support university recruiting and advising prospective students. The Admissions Counselor will assist TUJ in meeting enrollment goals that focus on continuing current growth and achieving a qualified and diverse student population. This position will be primarily responsible for recruiting in Asia and the U.S., but may include other regions. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills, student recruiting, and sales and/or marketing experience. Previous experience in the education sector is preferred. Some weekend and evening work and significant international travel will be required.

Primary Responsibilities
-Serve as the primary point of contact for prospective students and applicants
-Represent TUJ to the public and its vision to prospective students, parents, school counselors, Japanese language teachers, academic institutions, and other entities
-Make recruiting trip plans and execute them, by visiting high schools and community colleges, attending school/college fairs, recruiting conferences, and other relevant events
-Spend extensive time overseas on recruiting trips
-Prepare and give presentations about TUJ, and studying and living in Japan

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Financial Manager
Posted by: YKK Corporation of America
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Jessica Cork (Hiroshima, 1997-2000) for passing along the following job opening.

About YKK Corporation
At the YKK Group, we believe in the “Cycle of Goodness” – the idea that “no one prospers without rendering benefit to others:” We’re committed to creating value for our customers, employees, and society in all that we do.

Job Summary
Ykk Corporation of America is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Financial Manager. This role is crucial for ensuring the integrity and efficiency of our financial operations, compliance with regulatory requirements, and effective risk management. The ideal candidate will be fluent in Japanese and possess strong project management and intercompany communication skills. This position requires a proactive individual who can hold team members accountable and collaborate effectively with global cross-functional teams.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for GRC financial management and performance in the Americas Region including but not limited to accounting, tax, finance, treasury, and other related financial activities.
• Serve as the main point of contact between YKK Corporation of America and YKK Corporation of Japan Group Finance, Tax, Consolidations and other financial departments.
• Collaborate closely with the CFO and stakeholders to provide guidance and improvement on compliance matters including regulatory changes and best practices.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Manager of Citizen Diplomacy Programs
Posted by: WorldBoston
Location: Boston, MA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to WorldBoston for passing along the following job opening.

WorldBoston is hiring a Manager of Citizen Diplomacy Programs! This is an outstanding opportunity for a professional seeking to grow a career in citizen diplomacy and nonprofit management with an international focus.

WorldBoston has implemented local public diplomacy initiatives since 1961. Today, we continue to facilitate international exchanges such as the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and Fulbright Visiting Scholars Cultural Enrichment Program, as well as Custom Visitor Programs. This year, WorldBoston has hosted over 800 international visitors, orchestrating visits with professional peers throughout Eastern Massachusetts, along with logistics and cultural programming. WorldBoston is known for finding excellent and relevant interlocutors across a broad range of subjects. We are equally well-known for high standards in management and logistics, allowing Boston to rank consistently as one of the Top 3 cities in the U.S. in these types of programs.

The Position

The Manager oversees many aspects of WorldBoston citizen diplomacy programs, particularly in sourcing and driving WorldBoston’s portfolio of Custom Visitor Programs. This role is a project management role including creating and tracking proposals, programming visits, interfacing with visitors, and national programming partners in Washington, D.C. Additionally, the Manager coaches student staff who assist with these tasks. Reporting to the Vice President for Citizen Diplomacy, the Manager is a member of the management team and works to advance the overall mission of WorldBoston, often representing the organization in the community and with national partners.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: JET Program Interview Assistant
Posted by: Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Magda Fuller (Kanazawa, Ishikawa (2015-2022), 2015-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

The Japan Information Center is hiring a part-time, in-person JET Program Interview Assistant for the
upcoming 2025 JET Program interview season.

Application Process: For more information and to apply, please click the link below.

Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Japanese-English Bilingual Sales Representative
Posted by: Quick USA
Location: Gardena, CA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Carlos Medina (Hiji-Machi, Oita, 2019-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

A Japanese Manufacturing and Wholesale Company focusing on supplying a variety of different kitchen equipment to grocery stores as well as Japanese restaurants is looking for a full time, fully onsite Japanese-English Bilingual Sales Representative who can maintain their existing accounts and appliance maintenance.

Previous Sales experience in sales although preferred, candidates with no experience, but interested and willing to learn will be provided training!! So, if you’re up for the challenge why not try applying?

The salary range for this position BOE and skills would be between the 50k-55k. This position also includes benefits such as health, vision and dental insurance, PTO and sick leave.

Your essential duties would be as follows:

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: JET Program Processing Staff
Posted by: Embassy of Japan in the U.S.
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to The Embassy of Japan in the U.S. for passing along the following job opening.

Description:
The JET Program Office at the Embassy of Japan is seeking Processing Staff for the 2025 JET Application processing season. Processing staff will have the opportunity to learn more about the JET Program from an administrative perspective. This is a temporary position from November 1 to December 23, 2024 (start and end dates are flexible). This is an in-person position based out of our office at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. The end date is subject to change. Application deadline is October 24th, 2024.

Responsibilities:
Checking online application materials for completeness
Working with other processors to confirm completeness of application materials
Preparation of application materials for review
Organizing, scanning and data entry of documents

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Local Staff, Finance Division
Posted by: Consulate General of Japan in New York
Location: New York, NY, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Joseph Meringolo (Fukushima-ken, 2014-2017) for passing along the following job opening.

The Consulate General of Japan in New York is currently seeking to hire a local employee in the Finance Division. To apply, please submit the required documents (see 6. below) to the e-mail address below by November 7, 2024. For more details, please see the recruitment guide below.

1. Work hours:
a. Monday through Friday (except holidays), 9:15 am to 6:00 pm (1 hour lunch break)
b. Leave system: Weekends off (Sat. and Sun.), days the consulate is closed, and annual paid vacations.
c. Benefits and compensation: Approximately $50,000 per year, determined based on education, work experience and other qualifications. Medical and dental insurance coverage available (with some self-payment)
d. Place of work: Consulate-General of Japan in New York

2. Date of adoption: December 2024 (tentative schedule)

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Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Last week was the first in office for Japan’s new Prime Minister, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba. He’s a member of the Liberal Democratic Party but not part of former PM Shinzo Abe’s faction, and his anti-Abenomics proposals like raising taxes and curtailing spending have ruffled some feathers in the party. Ishiba is looking to dissolve Parliament’s lower (but more powerful) house Wednesday ahead of the general election on October 27. In this election the LDP is expected to retain its majority allowing Ishiba to stay on as PM, though opposition parties are expected to pick up seats due to recent LDP political funding scandals.

In cultural news, last month’s Emmy’s gave the Japanese show Shogun a record-breaking 18 wins for its first season. In addition to outstanding drama and directing awards, Anna Sawai became the first Asian actor to win Lead Actress in a Drama Series and her co-star Hiroyuki Sanada took Lead Actor (I personally believe Tadanobu Asano, who was nominated in the supporting actor category for his role as the deliciously demented Yabushige, was robbed). Sawai was also selected for TIME100 NEXT 2024, and Sanada wrote her a lovely tribute in the magazine.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Executive Assistant, Japanese Translation
Posted by: Quick USA
Location: Columbus, IN, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Carlos Medina (Oita, 2019-2022) for passing along the following job opening.

A Japanese Manufacturing Company is looking for a Contract to Permanent, fully onsite Japanese-English Bilingual Executive Assistant/Translator to join their Columbus, IN location and help Interpret for the President, translate documents between English and Japanese, and respond to emails.

The pay range for this position DEO and skills would be between the 50k-70k mark. This position also includes Medical, dental and vision care as well as 401k

Your essential duties would include the following:
– Interpreting for the President during meetings with clients and within the company when needed
– Accurately translate document from form both English to Japanese as vice versa for both internal & external use.
– Answering incoming email in both English and Japanese.

Please consider the following qualification when applying:
– Proficient in both Japanese & English
– Operate Office Equipment.
– Intermediate level use of Microsoft Office.
– The ability to sit, stand, squat, bend, twist, and use stairs throughout the course of the shift.
– Maintain Confidentiality at all times.
– Other Duties As assigned.
– Ability to Lift Up To 25 lbs.

Application Process: Please send your resume to carlos@919usa.com

Ashley Davis is a former CIR for Matsushima and Otsu (2019-2022). She is currently living in Chiba Prefecture after working post-JET in the tourism sector in Japan.

It’s funny how much little moments can matter and butterfly out to unexpected connections. As I face an unexpected difficulty with my employment situation, I find myself looking back on the positive moments of my life including how important one’s community is.

One of my tasks as the CIR for Otsu City would be to assist foreigners coming in for municipal paperwork.

There was a Venezuelan couple who would often come into city hall and ask for me as they were having a child throughout my tenure. One day, I was conversing with one of them to pass the time while we waited to be called for paperwork. It might not seem like much, but we got on the topic of naming conventions. As an American, is Andrea a more masculine or feminine name? Growing up in the USA during the 90s, I would say feminine. Conversely, I was informed this can be a masculine name in Spanish speaking countries.

Later, I was looking into my family tree for one reason or another. I know that Americans are said to have a unique relationship with our familial roots, but we all came from somewhere, and my family never really documented stuff on one side. I never saw a picture or knew anything about my paternal great grandfather. I knew my father did not really have any records or details either. However, I realized that sometime after immigrating from Sicily around the Great Depression that my great grandfather had angelized his name – it was originally Andrea.

Thanks to this couple leading to this realization, I was able to find documentation showing my great grandfather moving to Michigan to work in engineering. Not only did this governmental paperwork include his name and occupation, it also included an old photo of him. I passed this onto my father, and I like to think it helped him get some closure.

So, my advice to all JETs is to continue to listen to people even if what they are saying might not always seem important to you at the time. You never know what might happen.

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here. 

As the summer days fade into fall colors, the weeks ahead are shaping up with these exciting events, ready to be enjoyed all through Halloween.

This month’s highlights include:

Oct. 2 & 6

Mobile Suit Gundam

Various theaters

Various prices

Iconic Events Releasing and Bandai/Namco this month bring the original trilogy of Gundam movies to the big screen! In Universal Century year 0078, the space colony Side 3 declares itself the Principality of Zeon and launches a war of independence against the Earth Federation. Eight months have passed since the war entered a deadlock. Learning of a secret plot by the Federation Forces, the Zeon Forces launch reconnaissance followed by an attack against Side 7. A young boy by the name of Amuro gets wrapped up in the war, and by coincidence ends up piloting the mobile suit Gundam and defeating the enemy. The Federation’s White Base, having lost its proper crew in the battle, escapes from Side 7 with forces still in training and civilians both. Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Oct. 3-5

National Bunraku Theater

Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street

$55-$72 (waitlist for Oct. 4-5 only, click here for details)

The National Theatre makes its triumphant arrival with bunraku theater in New York City for the first time in 32 years! Witness a stunning production of traditional Japanese puppet theater, with two quintessential climaxes from bunraku repertoire: Date Musume Koi no Higanoko (Oshichi, the Greengrocer’s Daughter) and Sonezaki Shinju (The Love Suicides at Sonezaki). Known for its globally influential three-person puppet manipulation technique invented in the mid-18th century, bunraku has been designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Featuring scenography by Kazuo Oga, art director for many classic Studio Ghibli anime such as My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke, this performance offers Americans a rare opportunity to glimpse the rich culture not only of bunraku, but of Japan’s second-largest city ahead of Expo 2025, held in Osaka. A pre-performance lecture on bunraku led by Hunter College Professor Claudia Orenstein begins one hour before each evening performance. Performed in Japanese with English supertitles.

Opens Oct. 4

Look Back

Various theaters

Various prices

This heart-wrenching story is the stunning feature-length directorial debut from Kiyotaka Oshiyama that will leave you in tears and inspire you to chase your own artistic dreams. Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a competitive fervor in Fujino. What starts as jealousy transforms when Fujino realizes their shared passion for drawing. Based on the acclaimed manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man), Look Back captures the highs and lows of pursuing artistic excellence and the special bonds formed through creative collaboration.

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position: Adjunct Lecturer for “Culture and Cuisine in Japan”
Posted by: CIEE Kyoto
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Michele Fujii (Shiga 2010-2013, 2010-2013) for passing along the following job opening.

CIEE Kyoto is seeking faculty to teach a course on Culture and Cuisine in Spring 2025. Students will be university undergraduate students from the United States. Courses will be taught in English on site in downtown Kyoto.

Contact Hours: 45

Remuneration: 400,000 JPY

Transportation Stipend: 15,000 JPY

Teaching location: Shijo Karasuma (3-minutes from station)

Class Size: 5 – 15 students

Class Dates: Mondays/Wednesdays OR Tuesdays/Thursdays

Program Dates: January 23 – May 9, 2025

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Posted by Sydney Sparrow. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

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Position:  Associate Program Officer (Japanese Language Education Program Coordinator)
Posted by: The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
Location: Hybrid/Los Angeles, CA, USA
Contract: Full-Time

Thanks to Megan Murata (Yamaguchi, Hofu, 2019 – 2022) for passing along the following job opening.

Description:
1. Coordinate grant programs related to the Japanese language education in the U.S.
2. Networking/collaborating in both Japanese and English with foreign language educators, teachers’ associations, and school
administrators (K‐16 institutions and heritage language schools, etc.), mainly with the Japanese language education field.
3. Plan and coordinate Japanese language related events and projects.
4. Research and collect information related to the field of Japanese language education.
5. Promote and enhance awareness of JFLA grants and projects. Create program materials and publications.
(e.g. newsletters, fliers, SNS posts, and webpages, etc.)
6. English‐Japanese/Japanese‐English translation and proofreading
7. Perform other related duties/responsibilities assigned by Director or Deputy Director

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