Linking Japanese Local Governments and the World

General Support for Local Governments’ International Strategy and Operations

Local governments in Japan are currently seeking international strategies and business as a way of finding solutions to a variety of issues ranging from boosting local economies to increasing cultural diversity.

The Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) has undertaken the task of providing support to local governments to achieve internationalisation. CLAIR was established in 1988 and for 30 years has been carrying out initiatives involving exchanges between local governments from Japan and from other countries; promoting local regions of Japan at international events; gathering information on regional revitalisation taking place in other countries; and enriching foreign language education in Japan.

Efforts are being focused in a number of key areas in the run up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. These include the continued internationalisation of local regions; expanding the foreign market for local produce; attracting more tourists from abroad; having an early introduction of English language education; providing support for foreign language education and multiculturalism policies to increase the number of international residents and foreign tourists; and human resource development to handle a wide range of international business in the future. 

Japan Local Government Centre

At present, CLAIR with its headquarters in Tokyo has 67 branches across Japan (20 cities designated by government ordinance in addition to one for each prefecture) and seven global offices. Among them is the London office, Japan Local Government Centre (JLGC), which was established in 1989 and manages activities in Germany, Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

JLGC manages foreign activities support, economic exchanges, research, and supports the activities in Europe of the JET Alumni Association (JETAA) of former JET Programme participants, active in chapters all around the world. Foreign activities support consists of arranging appointments for visits requested by local authorities in Japan, which may also involve interpreting arrangements and supporting research by individuals working in local government organisations. Economic exchanges provide PR opportunities for local regions of Japan to distribute pamphlets and showcase products at events in other countries, one of which will be Japan-Tag in Düsseldorf. Conducted research provides information and trends on government policies, private enterprises and laws that are related to local governments. JETAA partnership support management runs a number of events for the JET Alumni Association (see below) as well as providing other various assistances. One example is the JETAA career networking event that will be held in Düsseldorf on 16th February 2017 (see below for details).

JET Programme: Developing grassroots level international exchange and human resources

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET Programme) began in 1987 and has since had over 64,000 participants from over 65 countries. Amongst these, around 289 are participants from Germany, graduating from Japanese studies with high level language skills, with around 70 % of participants being placed in Japan’s local authorities and generally working on international activities.

There are three positions available on the programme - Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), Coordinator for International Relations (CIR), and Sports Exchange Advisor (SEA). The ALT positions make up for 90 % of the programme participants from all participating countries and their role is to provide encouragement for a global outlook and foreign language education support to children in classrooms. The CIR position requires a high level of Japanese language proficiency as the role involves planning and executing international events; translating tourism promotion materials; accompanying and interpreting for visiting delegates from sister cities; and posting information online to an international audience. The SEA executes cultural exchange through sports by providing coaching to talented athletes in the region they are based in, and at the same time makes use of their knowledge to collaborate in the creation and execution of sports projects.

The Role of CLAIR & Three Ministries for the JET Programme

The JET Programme is a joint project carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC); Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA); Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); and CLAIR. Below are the roles that each body carries out.

• MIC: Programme administration and funding to local governmentorganisations.
• MOFA: Recruitment, selection and predeparture orientation for new participants going to Japan.
• MEXT: School education training and guidance for ALTs.
• CLAIR: Participant allocation and transfers according to local government organisations, conducting orientations for newcomers and providing training seminars.

JET Alumni Association Main Activities

The JET Alumni Association (JETAA) is a community friendship group of ex-JET participants founded in 1989. There are 53 chapters from 16 countries at present with almost 28,000 members who are actively keeping their link with Japan.

A variety of projects have been carried out by the JETAA chapters in each country. Among the numerous events, they run orientations to new JET Programme participants providing Japanese lessons as well as advice based on their past experiences and information about life in Japan to help ease concerns about living and working in Japan. They also provide job hunting advice, with some chapters organising career networking events for returnees who have just finished the programme. These activities are becoming more popular with the chapters, supporting the alumni association’s expansion and growth in the years to come.

JET Programme Explanation Day in Düsseldorf

In conjunction with the 30th Anniversary of the JET Programme and the return of JETAA Germany, JET Programme Explanation Day will be held to help spread the word of the programme and the alumni association.

The event will allow visitors to gain an understanding of the JET Programme and at the same time provide a networking opportunity for ex-JET participants and recruiters. We look forward to creating new relationships between JETAA members, Japanese companies and German-Japanese organisations, and hope to see you at JET Programme Explanation Day.