Customer Reviews

Importing Diversity: Inside Japan's JET Program

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This book attempts to be a treatise of Japan's JET program. It succeeds in some ways but fails in many more.

The first problem is that the material is dated; the bulk of his observations come from 1988-1989. While this provides a good sense of history for the program it makes the book less than useful for those who are interested in how the JET program operates today. To a certain extent this is rectified in the final chapter but the treatment of the modern JET program is brief and superficial.

So if the book isn't a great guide to the modern JET program, how does it fare as a history of the program's foundations? Even here it is flawed. He breaks it into three main sections: the national perspective, the regional perspective, and the local perspective. The problem is that both the regional and local perspectives are based on very few observations. For instance, the entire regional chapter is based on interviews with one single administrator. A similar problem pervades much of the book. While I have no doubt that the events described are representative, the reliance on a single source for so much is a detraction from a book that presents itself as a broad based overview.

My final complaint is that the book explicitly states that the most prominent feature of JET nowadays is its functional as a cultural exchange program. However, this aspect of the program gets almost no treatment. The majority of the time is spent discussing the English teaching aspects of the program: interaction with other teachers, team teaching, classroom motivation, etc. It seems strange to spend so much time on something the author acknowledges is not the main focus of the program and so little time on what he admits is the main focus.

Professor McConnell's coverage is thorough, well-researched, and fair. He takes us into the heads of the people on both sides of the various conflicts that have sprung up through the years in the JET Programme and continue to spring up throughout its various levels - from the inter-ministry feuds to the JTL/ALT clashes in the classroom - and in doing so, I believe he helps point the way to greater understanding and cooperation...at least on the local level...

As a JET Prefectural Advisor* (my primary duties being to provide training, advice, and counseling for JETs in my prefecture on living in Japan and teaching in the Japanese school system) I believe that this book is a MUST HAVE for all JETs, past, present and future.

One of the primary struggles that I think all of us JETs go through is that of contextualizing our experiences, figuring out where exactly we fit (if at all) in the larger scheme of things, wondering if what we do has any value or makes any type of difference. This book, with its decade and a half of perspective and examination of the various (and oftentimes contradictory) forces at work - all the way from the international to the national to the prefectural right down to the local school/community levels - provides an invaluable framework for understanding the JET Programme, warts and all, that I doubt any of us JETs would be able to construct on own. Tremendous change has been and is happening, though its movement may be too slow for most of us JETs (even those of us who stay for the full three years) to discern...and perhaps not in the directions that we might expect.

Additionally, I agree with the writer of the previous review that _Importing Diversity_ has value not only to JETs but also to those seeking insight into the workings of Japanese government, education and society...but I shall leave the opining on that to the true scholars and less JET obsessed.

To anybody thinking of or already teaching in a Japan school, I strongly recommend that you read this book (try also reading _Teaching and Learning in Japan_ (LeTendre & Rohlen, eds.)). I have recommmended this book to all of my JETs and I am basing a portion of the orientation training for this year's new batch of JETs on Chapter 5 of _Importing Diversity_. It is truly a shame that there is not yet a Japanese translation of this text for our Japanese counterpart teachers.

* In no way does this review reflect the official views of or have any connection to the Shiga Prefectural Board of Education or the Shiga Prefectural Government. I take full responsibility for the content of this post.

This book is a great overview of Japan's JET program. While most of the research was done on the early years of the program, the author has kept in touch over the years and includes a chapter on JET in the 2000's. The main players are introduced, and the functions of CLAIR, AJET, JETAA and the various ministries are outlined. I found the information on how JETs are placed to be very insightful. Also, some fairly common cultural misunderstandings are focused on. Perhaps JETs who read this book will not make the same mistakes as their predecessors.

The author does a nice job of presenting both sides of the JET program. The opinions of the Japanese teachers and administrators is counter balanced with the opinions of the JETs themselves. As expected, the viewpoints rarely match. There is a great section on a JET who felt that she had had a great experience, and that everyone was happy with her performance. The Japanese host institution was glad when she finally left.

The book does tend to emphasize the bad experiences over the good. Statistics show that JETs who break contract are fairly rare, yet they make up the majority of the interviewees. The author does not imply that this is the majority experience, just that they make for more interesting reading.

I currently live in Japan and know many JETs. I'm not too sure who the audience for this book is. If you want to know the current and future state of the JET program, you are not the audience. If you were in the JET program in 1988 or 1989 this would probably be good nostalgic material for you to reminisce over and laugh about. I don't question its accuracy and much of it is interesting to read (kind of like gossip because it focuses on mostly negative and sensational aspects of JET participants' experiences in Japan), but for most people I think it is just a reference book for when you need to know what happened back in the late 80s. If you are a prospective JET, I recommend that you talk to former JETs who were recently in Japan.

This is NOT a book that is supposed to teach you how to apply for a job teaching English, or what exactly your contract and job duties will be. It never claims to be! Rather, this work is a study of the formative years of Japan's JET program, focusing on the position of the ALT, assistant language teacher. It is a deep and detailed anthropological study of an organization. The author clearly devoted much time to research.

I predict many people interested in quick sure-fire tips on how to get accepted an ALT position will start reading this book and go "Aw, man, this is boring, it's about the 80's or something, what does it have to do with me getting a job, dude?" There are some VERY good reasons why an interested JET should read the book, however, history and all. Here's why:

#1. The book explains why the JET program was started in the first place and what exactly the goal of the program is. This will assist you in writing your application, essay, and help you in answering questions at your interview.

#2. The book explains what kind of people the JET program is looking for and why. This will help you best present yourself when you apply. There are a few examples of problems that JET participants have caused while in the program, and how the Japanese organization is trying in its own way to avoid these same types of problems from occuring again. The people who have let the program down with unprofessional conduct or breaking contracts have caused embarrassment and inconvenience to their hosts. Any potential JET should read these examples and carefully consider the full import of their decision to represent their nation in another country, as well as be aware of the effects their actions while in Japan can have on the host institution.

This book definitely tells you a lot about what NOT to do while in Japan. Concerned about how to fulfill your job description or avoiding embarrassing yourself or others? You should be. Reading this book will help you understand how well-meaning idealism can sometimes come across as rude or insensitive to your host institution, and hopefully you can garner some wisdom here as far as how to avoid making the same mistakes.

#3. The book describes difficulties that ALT's encounter while in Japan. Are you ready and willing to deal with such problems, should they arise? This is, again, a big issue to consider. There are no easy answers given but an objective view as given here (the author is very careful to portray all sides of the issues described, an amazing feat when dealing with such touchy issues as obedience to authority and human rights) does help one to see both sides of issues a little more easily.

People who don't know much about Japanese culture or business practices are given kind of an insider's eye view of how the Japanese in the situation feel about things that arise, and views that they would not feel free to express face-to-face with the ALT are confided to the author (and subsequently, to us) in private anonymity. This may help those individuals who are not used to dealing with another culture and value system besides their own (cough, many of us Americans) to imagine the full meaning of being in another land with another value system that isn't necessarily right or wrong compared to ours, it is simply *different.*

#4. The book finishes up by showing that, though the JET program is by no means perfect, it is a work in progress that has improved greatly since its formative years. This is shown in the large increase in the number of ALT's, CIR's, and SEA's involved. There has been an increase in nations sending JET's to Japan as well as an opening up in diversity within those nations' selected delegates. These alone are heartening especially after reading about heartbreaking discrimination issues that arose during the beginning of the JET program.

We are also shown how JET participant satisfaction has improved much over the years and that steps have been taken to improve training and workshop content to better prepare JETs for the field. Also, the recruitment materials and orientation have been improved to help ease culture shock somewhat. With a strengthened network of JETs and with the addition of positions to organization staff to help people deal with problems that may arise, things seem a lot less scary now than they did back in the 1980's. You're not alone!

The book makes it clear that the program isn't yet perfect but that change is happening gradually-- according to Japanese custom, and that the future is looking brighter for Japan's students to be able to interact with foreigners and acquire better language skills. I think that reading this book will give one a more realistic expectation of what to expect from the JET program, and what not to expect. Of course, temper this with talking to a variety of recent JETs to hear as many opinions as you can on the JET experience! The more you know the better prepared you will be when making a decision whether or not the JET program is for you.

David McConnell's book is a fascinating look at the JET Program. It is not only exhaustive and comprehensive, it is also the only real look at the JET Program in an academic light. However, that is not its only appeal. The book digs into serious questions of how Japan sees itself with regards to the outside world and how the Japanese bureacracy works.

McConnell essentially takes the JET Program as a case study behind the inner workings of the Ministries in the first two chapters of the book and shows how decisions are made in a practical sense in Japan. He covers the formation of the program, the trobleshooting that was done, the improvements made and the reasons behind justifying the programs. He even delves (a little) into the give and take between the different Ministries when it comes to issues like funding, jurisdiction and accountability.

McConnell also manages to establish an American viewpoint in his book, making it a useful work in the field of US-Japanese relations. He looks at the problems and the successes of the Program through American eyes and helps give depth to issues that Americans and Japanese see completely differently.

So, yes, "Importing Diversity" is an incredibly useful tool for learning about the JET Program. Anyone who is applying to the program should read it. However, students and scholars of Japanese Politics, International Relations and Cutural Anthropology should read it as well. It is not to be missed by anyone with an interest in modern Japan.

Reading this brought back memories of my JET experience from '96-'99. I spent 1 year as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) and 2 years as a CIR (Coordinator of International Relations) in rural Western Japan. There I taught English at 6 junior high schools on Oki Island as well as did school visits, speeches, and attending various local events. I also worked as a CIR in a large youth recreation facility overlooking Lake Shinji for 2 years.

Certainly this book is a great introduction to what the JET program is, its intentions, successes, and failures. The book also contains a few chapters detailing the political reasons for the creation of the JET program, and the wheeling and dealing needed to successfully create a program that now includes over 6,000 foreign teachers in Japan's middle and high schools, and increasingly its elementary schools as well. After reading this book, you may well say to yourself, "I think I might like to do that." By all means, it is a great experience and will change you.

One topic that could have used more coverage is the CIR side of the JET program, which sets up coordinators in Japanese government offices to promote international exchange through various events. These coordinators include people from China, Korea, Russia, France, Germany, Brazil, and other countries, as well as from the English speaking countries such as the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. CIRS are a major part of bringing the JET program to prominence across Japan, and I think perhaps a topic that can only be done justice in a full-length book (who wants to write it first??)

I arrived in Japan as a JET in 1992 (-->1995), which from what I gather from Importing Divesrity is just after The JET Program's major wrinkles were ironed out.

Every so often while reading I'd wonder aloud, "Why doesn't McConnell mention..." only to find that in almost every case my questions were answered. Overall the book is not only informative, but well written using both careful research and some humor. (5000 College graduates heading off to teach English in Japan would make a good comedy.) The minor problems with the book are not really significant but should be mentioned:

1) While it makes sense to focus on the English teaching aspect, a few more pages could have examined the role of the CIR.

2) There is a brief but solid section on the JET experience in the teacher's room. I would have liked more pages on this topic. (Though Japanse teacher-ALT relations are discussed at length -- just usually within the context of the classroom.)

3) There are some interesting tables in the book, yet considering how many surveys are out there about the JET experience, "Importing Diversity" really needs an appendix for more survey data. I hope an updated version in a few years will include this.

If you have more than a passing interest in Japan, read this book.

Dr. David McConnell has written what will be the "bible" for the burgeoning JET Program. The work traces the JET Program from its inception to the mid-1990s, with much of the focus upon the Japanese culture and politics that both created and shaped it. The JET program is one of the most ambitious projects of the Japanese government, and one which has extremely long-term goals in mind: the changing of the very nature in which English is taught in Japan. A careful reader can, through the JET Program, see Japanese society at work. Although intended for an academic audience, the book should not be ignored by the general reader, as the successes and failures of the JET Program can be seen as a counter-balance to the more popular and currently trendy view of Japan as a dysfunctional, barely operating society. Although obviously of much interest for readers who wish to learn more about the JET Program, the book does have a wider appeal. For those readers interested in working or doing business in Japan, the book can provide valuable insight into how Japanese organizations function both within themselves and when dealing with other organizations. McConnell presents a balanced, well-articulated work that is well worth an examination.

My husband was an AET in 1988/90 and had a horrible experience. When I got this book for him, he didn't even want to read it. So I did, and I got lots of great insight into why the program has been so thrilling for some and so rotten for others; why he felt this strange resentment from the teachers he worked with; why the program was created in the first place--as a "gift" from Nakasone to Reagan during the rough negotiations over the trade gap!

There are lots of happy stories in this book, especially as the program works out the kinks in later years. But for me, the most interesting parts were the darker stories: of the AET who killed herself while my husband was there, of teachers who were confused about the intention of the program, of bright-eyed kids coming in hoping to help and ending up feeling like human tape recorders.

While he was there (we were both in Japan at the time), we kept wondering what the program was really for, since it certainly didn't seem to be about teaching English. This book explains it all, clearly and objectively. Maybe someday I'll be able to get my husband to read it!