Ex-JETs a major source of Japan’s soft power: U.K. study
by William Hollingworth Kyodo
LONDON – Japan’s soft power has been boosted immeasurably by its decades-long
policy of recruiting foreign graduates to come and teach in the country, according
to a study by a British-based researcher.
Sharleen Estampador-Hughson, from the University of Sheffield, argues that the
experience of living in the country has a powerful effect on the young teachers
who then tend to maintain a positive perception of Japan throughout the rest of
their lives.
Her sociological study of 24 former teachers on the government’s Japan Exchange
and Teaching Program, along with its predecessors between the 1980s and 2010,
shows the profound effects the program has on its participants.
She says the process of adjusting to life in Japan and dealing with Japanese ―
however stressful or difficult that may be ― leaves a large imprint on teachers
who will look back fondly on this formative period of their lives.
This nostalgia for Japan means the former JETs, as teachers on the program are
referred to colloquially, will act as agents of Japan’s soft power ― the way
countries boost their foreign relations through cultural, economic and
people-to-people exchanges.
For example, former JETs may promote Japan to friends and family, help Japanese
tourists, work in Japanese companies and maintain ties to their Japanese hosts.
