【JET 20th Anniversary Panel Discussion】
>Intenationalisation of Japan's Local Communities
Matsumoto: Up to this point, our panel discussion has been focused on the school education setting.
Now, though, I would like to shift our attention to topics that concern our regional communities. Mr. Greene, do you have any observations to share regarding the history of the JET Programme in fostering international exchange and understanding at the local level?
Greene: From a Foreign Service perspective, I believe the JET Programme has been the biggest success of any undertaking of its kind. Tens of thousands of JET alumni worldwide have stoked interest in Japan and things Japanese by sharing their experiences of life in Japan with friends and family. This is extremely important.
On another front, as Ms. Chan indicated earlier, you have CIRs and ALTs assigned to communities across Japan, providing opportunities for exchange and interaction with local students. That's another great aspect of the programme.
Chan: Japan has a fast-growing number of fans, who serve a crucial public relations role for Japan around the globe. That encourages more people to visit Japan, resulting in even more fans, and so forth.
One of my biggest dreams is that later in adult life, no matter where they go overseas, Japanese kids will be welcomed by people who say "I had a great time in Japan. I really like the Japanese and I love the country as well. Please come have dinner with us at our home." It's heart-warming to know that the JET Programme is capable of spreading exactly this kind of friendship and goodwill at the grassroots level.
Matsumoto: Tottori Prefecture stated it has ties of exchange with every country in Asia, but in what ways have those ties been manifest?
Fujii: CIRs and ALTs have been extremely active in fostering international exchange and understanding in Tottori Prefecture. In 2005 the prefecture cosponsored a festival on lifelong learning together with MEXT. On that occasion, JET participants set up a tent village themed on international exchange.
Tottori Prefecture currently has ALTs and CIRs from twelve different countries. At the festival, they each held an "America Day," "South Korea Day," and so on to celebrate the cultures and cuisines of their respective countries. They also performed traditional dances, whether skilled or not, and provided great entertainment for the many Tottori children who gathered and enjoyed experiencing a window into other cultures.
Exchange that identifies with and encourages active participation by children is the type of exchange we have had in mind, and on that note, we have great expectations of the JET participants. Of course, I also believe we need to be actively involved and work together with them.
Matsumoto: My understanding is that in Mr. Fujii's district, CIRs from other Asian countries are also active as well as those from English-speaking countries. However, 20 years ago, the JET Programme started out by inviting participants from the English-speaking countries of the United States of America, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Over time, invitations were extended to participants from Canada, Germany, France, and then Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Today, a total of 55 countries worldwide are represented in the programme. This year, on the 20th anniversary of its inception, the programme welcomed its 54th and 55th member countries: Pakistan and Kenya, respectively. John Opondo, the CIR from Kenya, was assigned to work in Mie Prefecture. Of all prefectures, Mie has the third-largest population of foreign residents. To put that into better perspective, Mie has one foreign national for every 40 Japanese residents. In many respects, Mie Prefecture has been at the forefront of the drive towards internationalisation. So, I now have a quick quiz for Ms. Chan.
How many countries are represented by foreign nationals in Mie Prefecture? Just take a wild guess.
Chan: Let's see. Twelve countries, a dozen.
Matsumoto: Mie Prefecture currently has a population of 48,000 foreign residents representing 96 different countries. Amazing isn't it?
Chan: Wow, that is a surprise. However, this may well be the future image of Japan if you think about it. With the declining birthrate, in order to simply maintain its current population level, Japan has had a shortage of around 1 million births every year over the last 20 years. In other words, it now has a population deficit of around 20 million citizens.
Granted that it would be virtually impossible to increase the population by 20 million through childbirths alone in the near term, allowing more foreign residents to live and work in Japan may be the future path to maintaining Japan's current population level. In that respect, Japan's relations with neighbouring countries could become a big issue.
Greene: While resident in Yokohama, I gained the impression it also had a highly internationalised population. Immigration in my view is a good thing. America itself is fundamentally a nation-state created by immigrants and that, I think, is one of our biggest strengths. Although immigration may in many ways be construed as a major challenge for local and central government agencies at this time, over the longer term I venture it will evolve into a major plus for Japan.
Matsumoto: Mr. Tanaka, could you provide us with a summary of current internationalisation trends around Japan?
Tanaka: Internationalisation takes many forms, including cultural exchange and local participation in assorted events. Of course, right now, one of the single biggest trends is the sheer growth in Japan's foreign population and the problems and pressures surrounding that.
It's my understanding that Japan currently has around 2 million registered foreign nationals. That constitutes a 1.5-fold increase in scale over the past decade. Furthermore, it is anticipated that Japan's foreign resident population will continue to expand in the years ahead for one of the reasons Ms. Chan pointed out earlier: namely, the downtrend in the size of the native Japanese population.
Consequently, the issue of multicultural coexistence is emerging as a major challenge. For example, at a practical, everyday level, we will need support for improved communication with foreign residents, the provision of residential, education, health-care and fire-prevention services, and even for the creation of detailed rules and schedules for trash disposal. On various fronts, we will need new forms of support that have value in terms of sustaining a multicultural society. We believe this has already emerged as a major challenge for local governments.
Matsumoto: What about developments in Tottori Prefecture, Mr. Fujii?
Fujii: Statistics show that Tottori Prefecture has experienced a doubling of its registered foreign resident population over the last decade. A twofold increase in only 10 years is rather amazing. It may double again or even triple in scale over the next 10 years, we just don't know. However, we do honestly believe it will trace a purely natural pattern of growth. My career with the prefectural government spans over three decades now. I recall that when I first became a public servant, foreign nationals were almost unheard of in Tottori. Although Americans or Britons were of course rarely seen, we almost never met any Chinese either. There were only a few exchange students at the university. That said, our prefectural population of foreign nationals has demonstrated an exceptionally natural pattern of growth.
As you may know, Tottori is home to the Tottori Sand Dunes, the largest of their kind in Japan. Because the dunes have status as a protected natural treasure, they cannot be cultivated. However, there is an area near the dunes with wild stands of satsuma imo, a type of sweet potato, and on one occasion I visited that area to dig for some of the potatoes. Looking around, I noticed that others had come for the same reason, including grade-school kids, foreign exchange students, and of course, local residents. We were all digging for potatoes together, and I felt nothing unusual or unsettling about it at all. The presence of foreign nationals just blended so naturally into the situation and the surroundings.
Matsumoto: Ms. Chan, I wonder if you have any thoughts or experiences to share on troubles that foreign nationals face in Japan. For example, about something that could be resolved if only it were approached in a different way.
Chan: Japan is, in one sense, a special country. I myself faced an array of obstacles when I first arrived. On top of that, it was difficult making friends at first because most Japanese have a tendency to be somewhat reserved in their dealings with others. Hence, even if I was wrong about something, my Japanese associates were hesitant to reprimand or correct me, and as a result, I initially failed to recognise or understand the mistakes I made.
That said, I really think Japan is a great country, though I'm sure some will assume I'm just being partial.
Matsumoto: Do foreign nationals easily adjust to life in Japan?
Chan: My feeling is that Japan simply has so many kind people. This is a country where courtesy reigns. To be honest, after arriving here, I never experienced any discrimination. That's one reason I've learned never to discriminate against others, wherever I may go. Furthermore, even if I do feel discriminated against, I never lose my cool or display animosity. I attribute this to the strength I've gained from meeting and associating with so many Japanese friends who accept me for who I am.
Of course, life here has its little hurdles. The questions that revolve around how to use a Japanese bath, how to put out the garbage, how to greet others, and so forth. I've committed plenty of mistakes and had to deal with many problems, but once I overcame them it was easier to recognize the things that make Japan such a great place.
Japan is like a “daifuku” (a rice cake filled with bean jam). When you look at it from the outside, all you see is a white mass. But once you bite in it, you’ll find the delicious “an” (red bean jam.) That’s how the Japanese people are I think.
Matsumoto: As one of those “daifuku”, I’m delighted to hear that. (laughter). I sincerely appreciate your comments. Ms. Naoyama, could you describe trends in the Kyoto area?
Naoyama: The City of Kyoto has a ward sports festival programme, with individual sports festivals held in the fall in each elementary school district. The residents in a given school district will gather at their local elementary school for their festival. ALTs who live in the neighborhood often show up for these events, and sometimes ALTs who have worked with me will come to the festivals held in my own neighborhood. It's an intriguing scene. Because Kyoto has so many Buddhist temples, you will see monks running in some of the races, then ALTs and other foreign nationals running in others.
You may see ALTs and monks in big baggy shorts running together in the three-legged race, then turn around and see elderly men and women doing their best to explain the game rules to an ALT. They don't speak a word of English but do everything they can in Japanese to get their message across. The ALT will listen intently without a clue as to what is being said. Eventually they find a common means of communication, the ALT acquires a better understanding of Japan, and the locals acquire a better understanding of the ALT. This is a fairly common scene in Kyoto.
