On the 22nd of January, a reception was held at the residence of Dr. Kohara, Consul-General of Japan, Sydney. The Director of CLAIR, Mr. Yasuhiko Tanabe, and one of our Research & Liaison officers, Ms. Atra Ardekani, attended the event. Formal proceedings began with Dr. Kohara welcoming back JET programme participants who have recently returned to Australia from Japan. He also expressed his gratitude for the efforts of the Sydney JET Alumni Association (JETAA) members.
The evening also included a presentation from Ms. April Morley, a Sydney JETAA member. She talked about her experience as part a youth exchange project launched by the Japanese government called the Kizuna Project. Kizuna is the Japanese word for “bond”. This project is a part of Japanese reconstruction plans and aims at promoting global understanding of Japan’s revival efforts in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.
In December 2012, over 200 Australian students and educators participating in the 2 week program to Japan. Participants visited the affected areas of the Great East Japan Earthquake to see and learn about Japan’s reconstruction from the disaster. Both Ms. Morley and Dr. Kohara encouraged everyone to visit Japan and support the areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
Also, three former JET programme participants who had recently returned to Sydney shared some of their experiences in Japan with the audience. We were delighted to hear that they enjoyed their time in Japan, and that Japan will always have a special place in their hearts. We hope that the JET programme will continue to increase mutual understanding between Japan and Australia, and develop international exchange at a grassroots level.
