Celebrating 30 Years of Inspiration: The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme
JET at 30: Ambassador Tsuruoka speaks to the crowd.
On March 16, the British-Japanese Parliamentary Group (BJPG) hosted a major reception in the House of Lords to honour and celebrate the 30 years of the Japanese government-sponsored Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) organised with the JET Alumni Association UK.
The JET programme, originally launched in 1986, has been responsible for giving over 10,000 British graduates the opportunity to live, work and experience life in Japan for a minimum period of at least a year working in Japanese prefectures and municipalities throughout the country – so they can learn about a country that has been so globally influential, yet remains so intriguing. Conversely, it also gives the children of Japan and their local communities the chance to learn about another culture and adopt a global outlook.
It has been and continues to be a hugely successful and influential, grass-roots level programme that has increased knowledge and understanding between the two countries; countries that have so much in common and who have much to learn from each other.
Japan is currently one of the most important investors in the UK, second only to the USA and as such, the JET programme offers both British and Japanese companies and institutions a pool of talented, knowledgeable programme ‘graduates’ – many of whom have also become linguistically and culturally competent during their stay in Japan.
The organiser of the event was the UK JET Alumni Association (JETAA UK) – a voluntary organisation dedicated to strengthening Japan UK ties. Its members continue to show their passion for Japan, holding events around the UK and demonstrating the long-lasting impact such exchange programmes can have on both a grassroots and international level.
Kagami biraki ceremony with Roger Godsiff MP, JETAA UK Chairman Sarah Parsons, Baroness D’Souza and Ambassador Tsuruoka
The JETAA UK National Chair, Sarah Parsons said, “the JET programme is one of the world’s largest international exchange programmes and has created tens of thousands of PR ambassadors for Japan across the world, helping generate jobs, business opportunities, educational exchange and deeper cultural understanding. We are grateful to the Japanese government for giving thousands of young British people the opportunity to live and work in Japan. It has deeply affected many of our lives and there are now JET alumni working in every corner of UK-Japan relations.”
The event was being honoured by the attendance of H.E. Mr Koji Tsuruoka, The Japanese Ambassador to the UK, who will give his opening remarks after the speech of welcome by Roger Godsiff MP, Chair of the BJPG. In addition, around 200 people from all areas of the Anglo-Japanese community including representatives from the British and Japanese government, Japan/UK businesses, universities, Japan related organisations and JET alumni were present.
The British-Japanese Parliamentary Group (bjpg.co.uk) was established in the early 1980s and is one of the largest of the All Party ‘Country Groups’ at Westminster. Its leader is Roger Godsiff MP, Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green.
A specially commissioned video was shown at the reception highlighting JET alumni’s continued links with Japan in their professional and personal lives, which can be seen below.
