Stung by international criticism that Japan was too insular, the government decided in August of 1987 to initiate "one of the largest educational programs in the history of mankind" -- the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program. In its inaugural year, 848 graduates from America, Britain, Australia and New Zealand were brought to teach in public schools all over Japan.
The Japanese government offered the program as a gift at a summit in 1986 between Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and U.S. President Ronald Reagan. When the first recruits arrived a year later, all of the major newspapers and television networks gave extended coverage to this event.
These "foreign ambassadors," as they were called, were wined and dined; as one American participant recalls, "We were treated like stars and felt really special."