JLGC NEWSLETTER
Japan Local Government Center (CLAIR, New York )Issue No. 97 / August 2019

1. Career Support Event for
JETAA (Page 1-5)
2.Introduction of New JLGC
Staff (Page 6-10)
3. The United States
Conference of Mayors(Page 11-12)

1. Career Support Event for JETAA
Individual alumni chapters and USJETAA will all holdcareer support events this fiscal year, and we will
introduce those here. Some events are hosted by JETAA,
but others are not. If you are thinking about job hunting orcareer development, please check below:
ChapterNameActivity NameJETAADC

Professional
Development

Date

Description

Location

Workshop

10/4—We will collaborate with
the Embassy of Japan andprovide an opportunity toeffectively offer returnees
the resources and advice
they will need in theirsearch. Sessions will include
resume and networking
skill development, and various panels on graduate
school prospects and jobs
in different sectors by JET
Alumni.

※For more information, please check each chapter’s website or Facebook. You
can access each chapter’s homepage here (JETAA USA, JETAA CANADA).

3 Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10016-5902212.246.5542 office • 212.246.5617 fax
www.jlgc.org

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Chapter Nameissue #97

Activity Name

Date

Description of Activity

LocationJETAADC

JETs@State

Maintaining theMomentum: The
Post– Exchange
Pipeline to
Successful Global
Citizenship

JETAA New York

November

We will provide an opportunity to hearcareer paths from the “JETs@State” alumni
The Department ofgroup.
State headquarters

November—Professional
Development
Roundtable

February 2020

Sempai/ Kohai
Outing Part Ⅰ

9/21

Sempai/ Kohai
Outing Part Ⅱ—

We will host a panel that brings together JET
alumni working in the fields of international
education, public diplomacy, and program
development to discuss alumni engagement
as it relates to all program phases. It is very
important for alumni to be aware of theresources available and to learn more about
the vital role that alumni associations play.
We will host a roundtable event featuring asenior JET alumnus to discuss career paths
and networking tips.

We will have informal meetups on how to
10:00am–12:00pm adjust to life after JET. For more information,please click here (PartⅠ,PartⅡ).
The David
Rubenstein Atriumat Lincoln Center
9/292:00pm-4:00pm
Sheep’s Meadow inCentral Park (Exactlocation TBD)

Job Club

Early October—These meetings will be focused on Networking, Job Leads, Skills Assessment, Confidence
Building, and Peer Support. Participants will
have access to a private website for group
discussion.

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Chapter Nameissue #97

Activity Name

Date

Description of Activity

LocationJETAA New York Career Forum &Welcome Back
Reception

Saturday in early–or mid– October
Nippon ClubJETAA NewEngland

Boston CareerForumJETAA Florida

CareerDevelopment
Conference for
JET Returnees

JETAA ChicagoCareer
Development Fair

We will provide JET alumni an opportunity to meetwith organizations, recruiters, and companies
interested in hiring JETs. You will also hear from local
JET alumni working in a variety of fields. In theevening, the Consulate and CLAIR will host aWelcome Back Reception.

11/1 - 11/3

This event is the largest Japan-centered job fair in theworld. It’s free to attend after you register online. On
Boston Convention
November 2nd, the JETAA New England chapter will& Exhibition Center
host happy hour.
(BCEC)
September—

11/1

—

Participants learn how to convert your experiences on
JET into applicable skillsets that can be used invarious fields, and will serve older JET alumni as anopportunity to refresh their skills.
Usually held in November, featured career experts
speak to past JET participants about careerdevelopment and building upon their JET experienceand building a path to career success. For more
information, please click here.

Career Counseling January to February Usually offered during the months of January andfor Recent2020
February, JET alumni are provided with career
Returnees andcounseling via virtual one to one sessions with Emily
JET Alumni
Kikue Frank, a fellow alumna with 10 years of—professional experience. For more information,please click here.
JETAA PacificNorthwest

Transitions:
Career Forum &Networking Expo

10/18-10/19—

We provide newly returned JETs an opportunity toattend a day-long seminar designed for networking,exploring options, and planning the next steps. For
more information on the schedule and registration,please click here.

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Chapter Nameissue #97

Activity Name

Date

Description of Activity

LocationJETAA Texoma

ProfessionalDevelopment
Workshop—Houston
Professional
Development
Workshop—Austin

JETAA Northern
California

Career Support
Professional
Networking

December—December—Year round—
JETAA Southern
California

JETAA Hawaii

Career Fair andNetworking
MeetingReturners
Networker andProfessional
Development

JETAA Great Lakes

Job Fair Co-Hostedby JETAAJETAA Ottawa

2019 JET Alumni
Career Fair &Welcome Back
Reception

These workshops would be a chance to meet the other
JET alumni in the area and to network, as well as
provide alumni an avenue to get extra sets of eyes on
their resumes/ cover letters and discuss potential
career trajectories.

TBD

We will host one or more workshops/ webinars aimed
at both returnees and older alumni of the JET Program,along with the opportunity to attend professional
networking events hosted by Japan– related
community organizations. Check back on our Facebook
and newsletter for more information!
We provide an opportunity to share advice on how tomarket their skills gained during JET.

Los Angeles
October—

We will provide a forum for returners to regale andshare their JET experiences with other alumni, as wellas answer any questions they may have about
adjusting back to Hawaii life.

January 2020 We provide an opportunity for returning JETs andcurrent alumni to network, as well as career and—professional development for recent returnees.
10/8
Afternoon

Embassy ofJapanThe Embassy of Japan in Canada will be hosting acareer fair targeting JET Programme and MEXT
Scholarship alumni. Many major Japan-relatedcompanies based in Ottawa and the surrounding
region will be in attendance, seeking to hire individuals
with experience working in Japan. For details andregistration be sure to sign up for JETAA Ottawa’sNewsletter.

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Chapter Nameissue #97

Activity Name

Date

Description of Activity

LocationJETAA Toronto

Orientation: JETReturnees

10/20—JETAA Career
Support andNetworking:
Career RoundTable
JETAA BC &Yukon

Networking andSkills
Development

1/18 2020—Fall—JETAA Southern
Alberta

USJETAA

CareerNetworking
Event andWelcome Back
Reception
JET Alumni
Webinar Series

MidSeptember—

On-Going—
Career Services
Just for JETs

Career and mental wellness– focused education,communication, and networking with JETs who haverecently returned from Japan.
This event is aimed at JET alumni, Japanese businesses, andcommunity organizations. We provide an opportunity tohear presentations from industry professionals about theircareer paths in relation to JET. We will also provide
networking with those professionals.
We will provide opportunities to network with sempai
alumni, discuss how to market our international
experiences, and learn how to refresh our resumes. For
more information on the schedule and details, please clickhere.
We will provide an opportunity to engage alumni to assist
and share their experiences, strategies for re-integration,and insights into various employment fields. This will befollowed by a reception that will bring alumni and recent
returnees together.
We provide guidance and instruction to JET alumni acrossthe country on a variety of careers and professional
development topics. Past topics have included how to finda career, best practices for JETs’ resumes and LinkedIn
profiles, and many more. Click here to watch past webinar
recordings and see what’s coming up next.

Applications We will be hosting free career counseling and resume
open 8/29 review services to JET alumni who live in the U.S. All of theand will close services take place online. We will be offering 25 careerwhen filled or counseling sessions and 20 resume review opportunities toby 11/1
JET alumni on a first come, first serve basis. For more
information, please click here.
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2. Introduction of New JLGC Staff
Aki Sugawara
Assistant Director, / Representativeof Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture

Hello, everyone. My name is
Aki Sugawara, I’m from Tsuruoka
City in the Shonai region in
Yamagata Prefecture, located in
the northeastern part of Japan. It
takes about 1 hour to get therefrom Tokyo by plane. Tsuruoka City is a rare area where
various features such as mountains, rivers and the sea aregathered, and there are rich natural landforms with height
differences from 1m above sea level to about 2,000m above
sea level. The seaside region in Yamagata Prefecture iscalled the Shonai region, and this region developed based onship transportation because the high mountains formed anatural barrier. Therefore, the Shonai region developed
differently compared to the interior, and there are still many differences from other regions
even in Yamagata Prefecture.
Today I’ll introduce myself and some of Tsuruoka City’s events, sightseeing, and food!
I have worked for two different departments. The first was the Board of Education. There I
was responsible for the city education department’s statistical survey. This survey covers a lotof things about the make-up of the schools and events that take place in the schools.
My next job was in the Welfare Division. There I was like a ‘case worker’. I regularly visited
households that were receiving welfare support already. I checked their status for eligibility
and provided advice and assistance for living expenses, job-hunting and access to healthservice or nursing care, as necessary.
At JLGC, I’m in charge of relations with the JET alumni.

Events‘Fireworks’
Akagawa Fireworks is one of the most famous fireworks events in Japan. It is held in August

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in the riverbed of the Akagawa River taking advantage of anarea 2km in total length and 1km in height, and about 12,000
fireworks are launched by selected pyrotechnists from all overJapan. Especially recommended programs are fireworks thatare synchronized with hit songs. It is so fantastic! Also, thefireworks that you see in the large panoramas spread all over
the riverside are really impressive.
“Noh on outdoor stages”
Noh is a very old traditional performance art, and it often tells
a story with a chorus, like ancient Greek theater. Anotherfeature is that people usually wear masks, which are called
noh-men or Omote. Every summer season, we can enjoy theseplays in fantastic settings.

Sightseeing“Yamabushi experience”
A Yamabushi is a Buddhist monk of Shugendo who is training
in the mountains. Shugendo is one of Japan’s unique sects
that connects Buddhism with ancient Japanese animist
beliefs. At Mt. Haguro, you can experience a part of
Yamabushi training. It is a good chance to refresh your mind,body, and soul. Over mountains, through forests, across rivers, andunder waterfalls, this training is a memorable experience ofauthentic ascetic mountain practices with the help of a guide.

Food“Dadacha-mame”
Dadacha-mame is a kind of soybean and one of the typicaltraditional farm products that represent Tsuruoka City.
Dadacha means elder male relative in the dialect of the Shonai
region in Yamagata Prefecture. The origin of the name comesfrom a lord who lived in Tsuruoka in the Edo Period who askedpeople, “Who (which uncle/ father) grew these soybeans?” itfeatures a deep richness and sweetness, and when you boil it, there’s a fragrant, roasted
aroma. In my opinion, dadacha-mame and beer is the best combination!

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Mami Ohashi
Assistant Director, / Representativeof the Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Communications

Hello, everyone. My name is
Mami Ohashi. I have been
assigned as a new assistantdirector at JLGC since this April.
Originally I came from theMinistry of Internal Affairs andCommunications (MIC), which oversees the functions of prefecture and municipal

governments in Japan. Since I joined MIC in 2012, I have mainly been responsible for theadministration and taxation policies of local governments.
For example, I was responsible for the Political Fund Regulation law. In Japan, politicalparties collect money from supporters and are required to report to the Ministry once a year
on the amount they receive, who the contributors are and how they have spent their money.
The Ministry then publishes this on the internet. My responsibility was to ensure that thesubmissions by the political parties to the Ministry were accurately reported and then I
assisted in the publication of this information. As for taxation policies, I was responsible forcalculating the effect on the revenue of local governments caused by an increase of theconsumption tax.
The consumption tax receipts are allocated to local governments depending on various factors
related to each prefecture. I was responsible for undertaking research on determining a betterway for calculating the amount for each allocation.
Also, I have had an opportunity to work for a local government in Chiba Prefecture, so today
I’d like to introduce Chiba Prefecture to you.

Specific features of Chiba Prefecture
Chiba, next to Japan’s capital of Tokyo, is part of thelargest metropolitan area of Japan and has a populationof over 6 million, the sixth largest in Japan.
Chiba is an international prefecture that is open to theworld through such facilities as Narita International
Airport, the gateway to Japan; Makuhari Messe, one of
the most prominent convention centers in Asia; andTokyo Disney Resort, whose two theme parks draw in 30million visitors each year.

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Chiba also has a strong industrial base, the Keiyo Coastline Industrial Belt, which
stretches out along the bay area. Furthermore, the highway system, including the Tokyo
Bay Aqualine, connects Chiba with the greater metropolitan area as well as the whole ofJapan.
On the other hand, Chiba is a diverse prefecture. Most of its land is located on thepeninsula. Blessed with many beautiful natural areas surrounded by oceans and rivers
that provide an abundance of fresh, delicious food, Chiba Prefecture is one of the leadingproducers of agricultural, forest, and fish products in Japan. Also, with the mild summers
and winters, the climate is very calm throughout the year.

Kujukuri Beach
Kujukuri Beach, extending to 41 miles, is one of thelongest and most outstanding sand beaches in Japan.
There are a lot of bathing beaches along Kujukuri andthanks to good waves you can also enjoy surfing there.
Part of the beach has been designated as the site for theupcoming Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Mother Farm
Mother Farm, which is almost one square mile, is designed
to introduce farms and farming to city dwellers. Visitors
can have a hands-on experience. Incidentally, Chiba
Prefecture has the third biggest production of milk inJapan.
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple has a history dating back over1000 years. About 3 million people visit during the New
Year (from January 1st to 3rd), the second largest numberin Japan. It is convenient to Narita International Airport, soit is easily accessible to international visitors. On the temple
grounds, there are five buildings designated as important
cultural sites. Komyodo, the oldest building among them,was built in 1701 and is built in a classic Japanese style. This area is also famous for eelsand there are several long-established restaurants serving eels around the temple.

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Seafood
You will find a lot of places where you can get fresh and delicious seafood. For example,
horse mackerel, sardine and lobster are some of the famous seafoods in Chiba and you caneat them as sashimi, donburi, deep-fried and so on. As for horse mackerel, “Namero”,
fisherman’s miso-based tartar, is one of the especially popular local dishes of Chiba.

Donburi

Deep-fried horse mackerel

NameroRakkasei
Chiba Prefecture is famous for Rakkasei, which is a kind ofpeanut. In Japan, approximately 80 percent of Rakkasei is
producted in Chiba Prefecture. Just like in the southern partof the United States, many people in Chiba prefer boilingthem and boiled Rakkasei taste so good.
Festivals
Summer is a good season for going to festivals in Chiba. One of the most famous festivals inChiba is Sawara no Osai (Sawara no Taisai), which is a generic term for Yasaka ShrineGion Festival in July and Suwa Shrine Autumn Festival in October. It is one of the threemajor Kanto float festivals. It is recognized as a world
cultural heritage event by UNESCO. For Japan, it is
an important part of folk culture. In the July festivals,floats are pulled from 10 am to 10 pm. The floats havelarge dolls and luxurious sculptures. These have longand significant history for the Japanese. Even in bad
weather, the performers are excited to display theirskills and courage in battling the elements. The floats
go through Sawara’s traditional area and are amemorable sight.

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3. The 87th Annual Meeting of United States
Conference of Mayors
From June 28th to July 1st, the 87th Annual Meeting of the United States Conference ofMayors (USCM) was held in Honolulu, Hawaii. USCM is the official non-partisanorganization of cities with a population of 30,000 or larger, and there are 1,408 such cities in
the U.S. today. It has been 52 years since the last annual meeting was held in Honolulu andthat was in 1967.
USCM is now focusing on three strategic priorities,
Infrastructure, Innovation and Inclusion, to help cities thrive
across the country. According to their argument, cities areplaying an important role to identify and prioritize
infrastructure projects that should be invested in andundertaken. Innovating by learning about some of the nation’sbest practices and cutting-edge technologies helps mayors whoare being faced with more demands and less funding. As
leaders, it is the mayors’ job to create a culture of inclusion andan environment that lifts everyone up. Most of the sessions were categorized into these threethemes and U.S. mayors shared their ideas with discussion and presentations.

As an organization promoting good mutual understanding between the U.S. and Japan, we,Japan Local Government Center (JLGC), were very glad that Japan had a strong presence
during this year’s meeting.
Because of their sister city relationships with Honolulu City, the mayors of Chigasaki City(Kanagawa Pref.), Nagaoka City (Niigata Pref.), Hiroshima City and Uwajima City (EhimePref.) participated in the meeting and Mr. Kirk Caldwell, the Mayor of Honolulu City,
introduced them in his remarks, explaining how they have been building a strong connection
with Honolulu, especially at the grass-roots level.

The Honorable Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo, made a presentation at the session titled “ACelebration of City Livability”. She mentioned how Tokyo plans to hold the 2020 Tokyo
Olympic and Paralympic Games in an eco-friendly way. The Mayor of Hiroshima City,

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Mr. Kazumi Matsui, also made a speech as thePresident of Mayors for Peace, the international NGO
that works for world peace with 7,764 member cities
including 215 U.S. cities. He asked all mayors to workwith him by joining Mayors for Peace in order to abolishnuclear weapons from the world.
JLGC’s Executive Director, Yoshihiro Akagi, gave agreeting at the International Affairs Standing
Committee. He explained how we reach out to local
governments in North America to understandmanagement systems. He also offered our support forthe U.S. cities that want to have a relationship withJapanese local governments. The highlight of theconference was the remarks made by Her Excellency
Caroline Kennedy, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan(2013-2017) in the opening plenary session. Attending
the USCM annual meeting in Honolulu meant a lot toher because her father, President John F. Kennedy,
made a historic speech about civil rights at the USCM
annual meeting in the same place in 1963. Ambassador
Kennedy also celebrated the long history of the U.S.–
Japan relationship. Her speech was welcomed by thelongest standing ovation.
One of the receptions during the conference took placeat the Battleship Missouri Memorial. It is one of thePearl Harbor historic sites and the most important
landmark for the history of both countries. Fireworks,provided by Nagaoka City, were displayed at night in
Honolulu.

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