JET set: Former JET teachers (from left) Chirag Batavia, Dan Senger, Clifton Strickler and Joubin Ghojehvand, who returned to Japan to work for Latham & Watkins LLP, gather for a photo in May. | | SATOKO KAWASAKI

JET alumni advocates for Japan

Program lauded for continuing to bear cultural fruit, friendships

by Ayako Mie

Staff Writer

Clifton Strickler never thought of coming to Japan until he met his boss at the University of Texas while engaged in an undergraduate work-study. His boss lived in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, teaching English with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.

For Strickler, the JET program sounded like a golden opportunity for adventure. But his experience as a JET teacher went beyond that and cultivated a commitment to Japan — he went to Harvard Law School after completing his JET stint and accepted a Tokyo posting with his law firm, Latham & Watkins LLP.

“I had great nostalgia for Japan, and I wanted to relive the memory,” said Strickler, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, who never lived outside of the U.S. before becoming a JET.

Seeing the program as a powerful tool to boost Japanese students’ English proficiency, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to double the number of JET teachers in three years and send them to all public schools, from elementary to high school, in 10 years. Former JET ranks have hailed the decision, as the administration preceding Abe’s sought to cut the program because it was regarded as costly and unnecessary.

Since Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party rode to power in December by ousting the Democratic Party of Japan, he has made enhanced English education a key goal.

Some quarters have also been urging that the government capitalize more on the soft-power aspect of the JET alumni at a time when Japan is seeking to better globalize its businesses and people. There is no official tracking or job referral system pertaining to former JETs, even though they could serve as strong proponents of Japan.

“The JET program is a gold mine for public diplomacy and an opportunity for the government to reach out to the foreign public,” said Emily Metzgar, an assistant professor in the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at Indiana University and a JET teacher from 1993 to 1995 in Shimane Prefecture.

The JET program started in 1987 as a concerted effort by local-level authorities, the internal affairs ministry and the education ministry to enhance mutual understanding between Japanese and foreign nationals. Its primary role is to internationalize regional communities by helping improve English education and promote international exchanges.

Teachers are often assigned to rural areas where there are few English speakers in the community, which allows them to become immersed in the Japanese language and culture.

As of 2012, more than 55,000 people from 62 countries had participated in the program, with about half of them coming from the United States.

Alumni include journalists, congressional candidates, diplomats working on Japan-U.S. relations and prominent scholars, such as Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia and Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Green also dealt with Japanese matters while at the National Security Council from 2001 to 2005 under President George. W. Bush.

Critics say the past participants are becoming even more valuable now as early alumni are reaching executive positions with the power to set policies, including those pertaining to Japan. This is why many former JET participants were shocked by the DPJ administration’s move to pare back the program.

Steven Horowitz, who was a JET in Aichi Prefecture from 1992 to 1994, likened his former colleagues to a global expat community of around 60,000 people in terms of their shared affection for Japan. “I think it is going to pay . . . dividends for years and years to come,” he said.

To consolidate the alumni network, Horowitz runs JETwit.com, a website that accumulates information about alumni and Japan-related jobs.

According to Metzgar of Indiana University, who surveyed about 500 American former JETs, alumni serve as cultural ambassadors in their communities. She found that 68 percent of the respondents follow news about Japan, but 45 percent are displeased with the coverage of Japan by the U.S. media. In addition, 65 percent of alumni felt it is important to respond to misrepresentations of Japan in the media.

“Alumni think they represent Japan. They also try to make sure the discussion is fair and accurate, but not promoting propaganda for Japan,” said Metzgar. “There is a nuanced understanding of Japan that average Americans do not have.”

Even though there is no official number on how many former JET teachers engage in Japan-related work, Metzgar found some 30 percent of the 500 respondents to her survey have some connection to Japan in areas where language skills and familiarity with the culture are required.

Latham is one of the companies that benefits from having former JET teachers. Its Tokyo office has 25 workers, five of whom are former JETs, including Joubin Ghojehvand of the U.K.

“Having former JET teachers helps globalize the actual workforce,” said Ghojehvand, who spent two years from 2002 in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, as a JET and returned to Japan even though it meant giving up his career as a lawyer in the U.K. He said the presence of former JETs helps Japanese staff get used to working with foreigners.

For a global law firm like Latham, it is crucial to have non-Japanese lawyers who understand both the Japanese and non-Japanese way of doing business, as it is often difficult to overcome differences in protocols when foreign clients deal with their Japanese counterparts.

“Especially with American attorneys, it is hard to bridge the gap with the Japanese clients, unless they are versed with the American culture,” said Dan Senger, an associate lawyer from California who was a JET in Mie Prefecture. “A lot of times Japanese people are not direct and it takes a bit longer time to sort things out because there is not necessarily one person who can make a decision.”

Like many former JETs, Latham workers hope the program continues to cultivate a deeper understanding of Japan among foreigners.

“I think the JET program is a very good way of promoting Japan. It shows that Japan is opening to cross-cultural exchanges,” said U.K.-native Chirag Batavia, a supervisor at Office Technology who was a JET from 2003 to 2005 in Kagawa Prefecture.

  • keratomileusis

    me thinks ron is referring to the effectiveness of the jet program in increasing english proficiency. until conversation and writing are tested, NOTHING will change. to wit, companies want employees to take the toeic and toefl tests, but just the reading and listening sections, thank you. if they required the speaking and writing sections it would send shock waves through the entire system. don’t hold your breath about abe providing funds or support. he’s too busy building an ice wall to contain horrendous mistakes made and being made in the fukushima disaster when more sensible and cheaper, internationally endorsed solutions exist. i doubt japan is high on anyone’s list of destinations, though the jet program provides an attractive alternative to debt ridden american college graduates with no prospects of gainful employment; if only they knew about the program. notice that the article merely stresses the benefit to past participants. sorry, but caring about japan is just out of the sphere of consciousness of most people, especially where there are attractive smart phone aps and other goods and services to acquire. empowering jet participants a more active role in engish education (such as grading students) would be a step in the right direction, and wouldn’t cost a ¥ more! lawyers? great, just what the world needs, more lawyers!

  • Steve Novosel

    Ron, I think you need a break from Japan. That much cynicism just isn’t healthy.

  • Snoop Gizzle

    “Advocates” is a pun. These guys are lawyers in Japan. Lawyers are called “advocates” in the UK…

  • Nobunaga73

    Guilty. I indeed failed to address any of the ridiculously bitter “points” he made.

  • disqus_Gvs3G32z1K

    As a JET that just started his third year, I’m not surprised by the derision some people direct toward the program. Having read the blog of a JET years before I became one myself, I was well aware of what kind of situation I’d be getting myself into. After studying abroad in Japan for a year, I felt like I hadn’t got my fill of the country despite the frustrating times I experienced then and still do now.

    I’ve gone back home two times since I started working here, and the prolonged effect of being in Japan for so long became very evident on my second visit. Not being able to regularly see your family and friends definitely takes it’s toll, and I am seriously considering quitting after this third year despite the fact that it’s still hard to find a decent job back home and I can’t get a low-paying job because I’m overqualified. But there are some moments that I’m here that feel truly marvelous. I’ve managed to see almost the entire country now, and it really was an enjoyable experience.

    That being said, the comparison of it to a zoo isn’t farfetched at all. In all honesty, I tolerate the ignorance of those around me because I pity them and know they’ll get theirs in the future when Japan’s demographic time bomb inevitably explodes. I don’t expect them to learn anything though. If anything, they’ll only grow to resent foreigners even more since blaming them is a popular trend. And even in the extremely unlikely event that they start letting more foreigners in, the results will be disastrous since the Japanese are in no way prepared for such an influx and there aren’t nearly enough jobs here for both Japanese and foreigners alike anyway.

    Those Japanese that have studied abroad and had their eyes opened will likely flee the country when things become difficult(the most well off among them already flew the coop after 3/11). Some of them may even have to deal with the challenge of going to a foreign country and adapting to it’s ways for the first time. The sheer irony of such a situation is absolutely sidesplitting. The worsening situation in Fukushima only convinces me further that people will leave. At that point I’ll have already left Japan and will be working towards a real job with the help of the 3-year pension I receive.

    I must say though I harbor no contempt for my students. Unlike many of the adults here, they act their age and treat me like I’m actually a human being. Probably because they haven’t been lobotomized by the educational system yet. I truly feel sorry for them as they are surrounded by an increasing population of elderly that care more about themselves than the future of the nation. If there’s anyone more undeserving of the hard times that lie ahead, it’s the young people.

    People like me are probably one of the reasons why the JET program is hated. I came to Japan not to help them really, but rather to further my own goals. But I do not care since as far I’m concerned there’s nothing wrong with actually getting something out of it as opposed to simply being used. Make no mistake, any sane person would realize that JET is not useful at all for teaching English. It continues to exist as a convenient way of getting foreigners to help stimulate the economy and then send them on their way so they don’t permanently settle here. And as Ron mentioned, it’s also there to make Japan feel better about itself despite it’s horrible insularity.

    I stay here now because things are getting worse. Japan is a
    very special place to me, and I want to enjoy it as much as possible
    because i will probably never get this chance again. When I do finally leave, it will be a mixture of joy and regret, as I will have gotten so much out of Japan but won’t be able to return the favor because it didn’t let me. I’ll feel satisfied knowing that I did the best with what I had, and hopefully a few of my students will change for the better because they knew me. I’ll also miss the few adults that actually viewed me as an equal.

  • disqus_Gvs3G32z1K

    I could care less about the opinions that the adults here have, but I am concerned about how their children view me. If there’s anyone I actually want to leave an impression on, it’s the young people. In Ron’s defense, it sounds like he’s struggling from cultural fatigue and that’s totally understandable in my opinion. It’s especially hard living here when you don’t have many friends or a significant other.

  • disqus_Gvs3G32z1K

    Something like that is unlikely to happen because it wouldn’t stimulate the economy nor Japan’s ego nearly as much.

  • JS

    I have known many former JETsters who decided to stay in Japan and work for Japanese or foreign companies in Japan, after finishing their stints with the JET program. This is logical since they are often fluent in Japanese, so Japanese companies are more inclined to hire these foreigners. Most of them hail from countries such as the US, Canada and the UK. They have all been nice people and I have developed friendships with many of them.

    However, I find this setup where someone goes from the JET program to working as a professional at a Japanese company to be highly problematic. The reason is that over time Japanese companies start thinking of these employees as somehow being experts at the Western way of doing business (i.e., experts at Western business practices). However, in reality these foreign employees often have no real work experience in their home countries. They also often have no advanced degrees from their home countries, or may have gone home just briefly to earn an advanved degree after their JET stint, before returning to Japan to start their professional careers here.

    In spite of this lack of professional experience and educational background in their own respective Western countries, the Japanese companies rely on these employees as their window (in a sense, their eyes and ears) to the outside world. To meet the expectations of their Japanese employers and co-workers, I have noticed that these foreign employees take on the role as actors and pretend to be the Western experts they are expected to be, since this image is projected on them. Unfortunately, their Japanese employers and colleagues have often not had any other real experience working with other Westerners, so they fall for this act. This emboldens these foreign workers, who over time continue to step up this act to higher levels.

    The losers in all of this are the Japanese companies, since they are under the false illusion that they are creating a competitive workforce, bringing in Western ideas, Western business practices and diversity by recruiting these JET alumni. In reality, none of this is true, since these employees lack the depth and breadth of professional experience outside Japan. In my experience. They certainly are not bringing Western best practices in business to their Japanese employers, since most of the times they came to Japan before getting any real professional experience in their home countries.

    They may be an easier cultural fit for many Japanese companies to stomach and the easiest route (since they often have act more Japanese than their Japanese coworkers in their mode of communication and interactions, in order to be accepted). However, this does nothing to improve Japanese companies’ competitiveness or globalization efforts.

  • Eliot Honda

    While Ron NJ’s comments are quite rude, they do hold some water for many JETs, but at the same time, “every situation is different.” One thing I strongly disagree with is the generalization that all JETs are just animals on display, and that the JET Program is a joke. There have been several cases in which JETs have moved into positions in which they help strengthen ties between their county and Japan. Some cases in which these JETs had no interest in a career in international exchange. While not every experience is great, (some even being horrendous) there is always something positive that can be pulled from every experience. It’s on the person going through the experience to figure out what that is. (Though it’s hard to see it when you’re going through it.) While JET by no means is a good English teaching program (and it wasn’t intended to be one,) us “animals in the zoo” do tend to open the eyes, minds and sometimes hearts of the ones we come in contact with. This program is not perfect, but it acts as a stepping stone for international growth both within Japan and the world. I was lucky enough to be placed in the sister city of my hometown of Honolulu. During my time on the program I was able to help with sister city exchange programs, events, and activities, and now that I’ve returned home to Honolulu I’m now more involved than ever. Without JET I would have never had the opportunity to do this, I would not have even known about this sister city relationship had it not been for JET. I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad experience, but I do truly believe, with all my heart that this program has done a lot of good for both Japan and those that have participated in it.

  • Eliot Honda

    Toolonggone, I couldn’t agree with you more, but I do feel that the reason JETs are placed in the teaching position is because of ease of access to the community and children. It could be me, but a person placed in a teaching position is much more easily approachable than say a cultural ambassador. I think the selection process does need some reworking. As JET applicants who miss the point of the program are too easily being accepted. Some come in thinking they are there specifically to teach English. There is still till this day confusion about what the JETs role is in the classroom and in the schools. While there are schools that understand that JETs are there to help with cultural exchange there are several schools and BOEs that feel that the JETs are English teachers and should not be involved with cultural exchange. It’s very tricky, and ends up falling on the JETs as to whether or not they’d like to do outside of work activities to promote cultural exchange or teach English, but that shouldn’t be the case. While I think this program is incredible, lack of communication between BOEs, schools, JETs, etc. does slow it down. Despite the comments others have made I still believe this is a valuable program. With that in mind, I don’t want to say others are wrong in what they are saying. Everyone has had their experiences, and with so many programs out there, there are choices. I just personally feel this is the best of the bunch.

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JET set: Former JET teachers (from left) Chirag Batavia, Dan Senger, Clifton Strickler and Joubin Ghojehvand, who returned to Japan to work for Latham & Watkins LLP, gather for a photo in May. | | SATOKO KAWASAKI

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