Structure of Nagano AJET

How is Nagano AJET related to National AJET and the JET Program?

Nagano AJET is a non-profit organization loosely affiliated with both National AJET and the JET Program. To fully understand the relationship between the three starts with the JET Program itself. The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program was created in 1987 by a collaboration of three different Japanese ministries: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), and The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). The purpose of the program was to reach out to other countries where English is a standard language to recruit assistant language teachers (ALTs) to help with English education within Japan. JET’s creation was a combination of two previous programs each focused separately on American or British recruitment. Since 1988 JET has been overseen by a fourth organization called the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) to coordinate recruitment, placement, and management of these ALTs among a very diverse operation of contracting organizations. This is where National AJET comes into play.

The National Association of Japan Exchange and Teaching (National AJET) is an independent volunteer organization of JET teachers. It was formed at the very inception of the JET Program from the similar support groups of JET’s predecessors. National AJET works to create a support network among JET participants, provide resources to them, and work independently with and alongside CLAIR to continually improve the JET Program. National AJET created independent, autonomous special interest groups for peer support, nationality, religion, lifestyle, and so on to better focus networking and support to meet JET participants’ various needs. Among these are the prefectural chapters, such as Nagano AJET.

Thanks to the distinct autonomy given to these smaller groups, their focus and membership are not limited to JETs alone. The English education environment in Japan has changed greatly since the JET Program was first formed. Many ALTs work for private dispatch corporations, and others are hired directly by local and prefectural boards of education without CLAIR’s involvement. Nagano AJET (also called The Nagano-ken JET Collective) works on a local level to create an environment for networking, support, and activities to residents in, and affiliated with, Nagano Prefecture. Its membership has been composed of JETs, dispatch ALTs, Direct Hires, former JETs, and even local residents, whether involved in teaching English or not. Nagano is a vast, diverse prefecture with ancient Japanese traditions, international communities, large cities, and isolated mountain villages. A driving purpose of our chapter is to make sure that no one coming to Nagano is stranded with little means of outreach or communication.

Nagano AJET was founded by JETs and keeps a very close relationship with the JET Program. Much of the organization and its events are structured around the JET yearly schedule. The welcome and farewell parties are tied to the prefectural seminars mandated by CLAIR for incoming and leaving participants, and the Nagano AJET year runs from August to July as the JET Program does. However, neither membership nor leadership is limited to JETs, or even English instructors. The committee running the organization has a special JET position to keep in contact with National AJET and the goings on of the program itself, but most other positions are open to any member. We encourage newcomers to join Nagano AJET and communicate with the committee to better facilitate our goal of providing better opportunities and experiences to the Nagano community.