The Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (AJET) is an independent, self-supporting volunteer organisation comprised of current JET Programme participants. AJET is the sole representative body for participants on the Programme. It is a volunteer association that currently represents over 4,000 of the approximately 5.100 JET participants. AJET cooperates with the JET Programme in a number of ways including: promoting and supporting internationalisation, providing information to participants and assisting with specialised training seminars.

National AJET’s primary role is representing the opinions and concerns of the JET community as a whole. This is done through biannual meetings with the sponsors of the JET Programme, specifically the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC); the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA); the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). AJET also organises several workshops and activities at the conferences held by CLAIR every year.

In addition to this, National AJET offers a number of services for its members. The AJET Peer Support Group is a confidential listening and resource line for JET participants. Staffed by trained volunteers, the line is open from 8pm to 7am every night- a period when other similar services are unavailable. One of AJET’s other major services is the Tatami Timeshare travel network. This system provides members with an online directory of JET participants who allow fellow Tatami Timeshare members to stay at their homes for free while travelling throughout Japan.

National AJET also produces a number of publications that are available to its members. The most popular of these, Team Taught Pizza, is a bilingual publication that contains a large number of teaching ideas and games for all levels of English Education. National AJET recently released a new publication, Foxy Phonics, dedicated to teaching the phonics of English. Both of these books are suitable for new and experienced teachers alike.

AJET is organised into two distinct levels, each with their own specific roles and duties: National AJET and Prefectural AJET. National AJET is made up of the National Council, the highest decision making body within AJET and serves as the communication nexus for all the various AJET groups. National AJET is comprised of nationally elected officers who serve for one year. These officers consist of 3 Executives who administer AJET; 11 Block Representatives who are responsible for an area of Japan and serve as the liaison between National and Prefectural AJET in their area; and a CIR Representative. In addition, there are several appointed officers who supervise various National AJET initiatives. Prefectural AJET operates independently of National AJET and provides support, organises events and keeps JETs informed of issues affecting them on a local level.

National AJET also oversees the running of Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Nationality Groups (NGs) and Language Groups (LGs). Special Interest Groups provide a means for people who share interests to meet and organise activities. Some of the most successful are EcoSIG (environmental awareness), OutdoorSIG (outdoor enthusiasts) and Stonewall (gay, lesbian and bisexual). Nationality Groups are there to provide support for people of different nationalities and include the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They provide information from home and a way for people to keep in contact. Membership is to open to anyone regardless of country of origin. Language Groups provide a forum for people who speak or have an interest in a particular language and include Cantonese, French and German. If you would like to be involved in volunteer activities, please contact AJET, your city/town hall, or your local International Association.

>> AJET Homepage: www.ajet.net　(as of January 2007)