Twenty-three Jamaicans will leave the island at the end of this month (November) for Japan where they will be participating in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme.
Speaking at a farewell reception held recently at the Japanese Ambassador’s Residence in Kingston, Officer-in-Charge, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ambassador Janice Miller, urged the participants to model the strong work ethics and integrity demonstrated by their predecessors.
“As you do so, you continue the fine tradition of successive cohorts of JET participants who have represented Jamaica with the energy and passion for which we are known,” Ambassador Miller said.
Mrs. Miller, who represented the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith, said that the participants will further strengthen the relations between Jamaica and Japan.
“You are the embodiment of the friendly, vibrant and dynamic relationship that both our countries continue to enjoy through the pursuit of shared and common interests at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels,” she said.
Jamaica established diplomatic relations with Japan in 1964.
She thanked the Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Masaya Fujiwara, and the team at the Japanese Embassy for their support of the JET Programme in Jamaica.
“We are humbled by the determination and dedication of the Government of Japan to the success of the programme since Jamaica began participating some 21 years ago. We are indebted to your government, Excellency, and we salute your personal commitment to this programme,” she added.
In his remarks, Ambassador Fujiwara said that almost 400 Jamaicans have participated in the JET Programme, now in its 20th year in Jamaica. He said that the programme allows participants to learn about the Japanese culture and the language through their interaction with students and teachers.
“You are expected not only to assist in teaching English but to also represent your proud country as an ambassador for Jamaica in your communities,” he said.
The Ambassador said the participants will learn about the Japanese culture, which he said is known for its “traditions dating back thousands of years and its continuous cutting-edge technological development”.