Consulate Activities
2022/11/3
The 2022 JET Welcome Back Reception
On October 27, the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu held the 2022 Welcome Back Reception for the Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program participants who recently returned from Japan. Six returnees, who were living in Fukuoka, Miyazaki and Okinawa, attended the event at the Consul General’s Official Residence. This is the first time since 2019 that the event was held in-person, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After welcoming back the JET returnees, Consul General Aoki mentioned that each participant is a valuable asset to strengthening the Japan-Hawaii and Japan-U.S. friendship. He encouraged them to remember their important mission as cultural ambassadors of the JET Program and to continue to share their stories with those they meet.
Representatives from the Japan-America Society of Hawaii, the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Hawaii Fukuoka Kenjinkai, and the Hawaii United Okinawa Association also welcomed the JETs’ homecoming and introduced them to the various Japanese cultural events and volunteer opportunities organized by their respective organizations, as well as other opportunities to continue to serve as a bridge between Japan and Hawaii.
The JET returnees gave presentations about their experiences in Japan and each participant said that it was one of the most memorable experiences of their lives.
【About the JET Program】
The JET Program, which began in 1987, seeks to help enhance internationalization in Japan by promoting mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. In total, approximately 900 people have been selected from Hawaii in the past 25 years. Presently approximately 100 JET participants from Hawaii are in Japan.
The program is based upon intensifying foreign language education in Japan and promoting international exchange at the local level through fostering ties between Japanese youth and JET Program participants. This program also provides valuable opportunities for the participants to learn about Japan and the Japanese culture.
Participants worked as either assistant English language instructors or coordinators of international relations throughout various parts of Japan. JET participants work and live in Japan anywhere from one to five years.
After welcoming back the JET returnees, Consul General Aoki mentioned that each participant is a valuable asset to strengthening the Japan-Hawaii and Japan-U.S. friendship. He encouraged them to remember their important mission as cultural ambassadors of the JET Program and to continue to share their stories with those they meet.
Representatives from the Japan-America Society of Hawaii, the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Hawaii Fukuoka Kenjinkai, and the Hawaii United Okinawa Association also welcomed the JETs’ homecoming and introduced them to the various Japanese cultural events and volunteer opportunities organized by their respective organizations, as well as other opportunities to continue to serve as a bridge between Japan and Hawaii.
The JET returnees gave presentations about their experiences in Japan and each participant said that it was one of the most memorable experiences of their lives.
【About the JET Program】
The JET Program, which began in 1987, seeks to help enhance internationalization in Japan by promoting mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. In total, approximately 900 people have been selected from Hawaii in the past 25 years. Presently approximately 100 JET participants from Hawaii are in Japan.
The program is based upon intensifying foreign language education in Japan and promoting international exchange at the local level through fostering ties between Japanese youth and JET Program participants. This program also provides valuable opportunities for the participants to learn about Japan and the Japanese culture.
Participants worked as either assistant English language instructors or coordinators of international relations throughout various parts of Japan. JET participants work and live in Japan anywhere from one to five years.