JETs on Japan Overview

The JETs on Japan Publication Series, previously the JETs on Japan Forum, is a partnership between Sasakawa USA and USJETAA, first published in 2021. The publication series seeks to highlight how JET alumni leadership in various professional fields contribute to the US-Japan alliance, by offering a platform where JET alumni who are mid-to-senior professionals, as well as current or recent graduate students, can share their insights and promote a deeper understanding of the US-Japan relationship.

Articles feature in-depth commentary and analysis from JET alumni on a variety of political, economic, and cultural topics. Each article also explores how the author’s chosen topic impacts the US-Japan relationship. The diversity of each author’s perspective on the bilateral relationship, demonstrates the numerous ties connecting the US and Japanese communities, as well as how JET alumni continue to foster US-Japan relations as informal ambassadors, even after their return home.

To read the most recent JETs on Japan articles, please visit the JETs on Japan Publication Series page on the USJETAA website or download the articles listed by year of publication below.

For information on how to submit an article for consideration, please visit the JETs on Japan Submissions page on the USJETAA website.

JETs on Japan Publications

*Published articles are the opinion of the author and do not reflect the views of USJETAA or Sasakawa USA.

Recent Publications

Past Publications

2026

• July 2026: “Building Bridges through Jazz: Rethinking Jazz Diplomacy in a Twenty-First Century World” by Ryan Molloy (Aomori, 2018-2022)
• May 2026: “Gen Z Revolt in Nepal: Opportunities for U.S.-Japan Engagement” by Sehar Alam (Hyogo, 2024-2025)
• March 2026: “Countering Gray-Zone Competition: Comparing U.S. and Japan Responses” by Connor McKenzie (Hyogo, 2016-2019)

2025

• December 2025: “Revitalizing Rural Communities: What the United States and Japan Can Learn from One Another” by Samantha Sodetz (Kagoshima, 2018-2019)
• April 2025: “Powering the Diverse Labor Economy of the Future: U.S.-Japan Cooperation on Supporting the Integration of Immigrant Students and Families” by Vivian Chen (Shimane, 2016-2018)
• January 2025: “A Railroad Runs Through It: Japan, the United States and Dreams of a Renaissance on Rails” by Alexander Bolyston (Shiga, 2018-2021)

2024

• December 2024: “Opposite Sides of a Shared Desk: Inside the Japanese-American Bicultural Workplace” by Jennifer Jakubowski (Hokkaido, 1995-1997)
• October 2024: “Bonding Over Bans: Strengthening the US-Japan Tech Alliance Amid China’s Influence” by Ian Wong (Nagasaki, 2022-2023)
• May 2024: “Why U.S.-Japan Bilateral Cooperation is Critical to the State of Human Trafficking” by Kelsey Lechner (Tochigi, 2015-2017)
• April 2024: “Knowledge vs. Knowing: Zen Buddhism as the Key to Understanding Japanese Culture” by Jayson Vosz (Kochi, 1995-1997)
• March 2024: “Koto Lessons and Old War Stories: Building Bridges Through Music Exchange” by Alyssa Cantrell (Akita, 2016-2019)
• February 2024: “Food for Thought: What the United States Can Learn from Japan’s School Lunch System” by Gabe Baskin (Nara 2021-2022)
• January 2024: “Artificial Intelligence and U.S.-Japan Relations” by Erik M. Jacobs (Hyogo, 2013-2016

2023

• October 2023: “Japan’s Quest Success: What the United States Can Learn from the Japanese COVID-19 Response” by James Gannon (Ehime, 1992 – 1994)
• August 2023: “From Post-War Peace to Partners in Space: New Frontiers for the US-Japan Alliance” by Gil Breit (Gunma Prefecture, 1989-1990)
• July 2023:
  • – “Can Japanese Food Culture Help Save the Planet” by Dylan Rhoads (Yamanashi, 1996-1999)
  • – “Translating JET Skills into International Virtual Learning Programs: Three Model Initiatives” by Jonathan Brewster (Shiga, 2007-2010) and Anne Hooghart (Shiga, 1989-1990)
  • – “Online Education as a Component of US-Japan Relations” by Dustin Dye (Okayama, 2008-2011)
• April 2023: “US-Japan Trade Relations: From Adversaries to Allies” by David Boling (Ibaraki, 1988-1989)
• February 2023: “Thinking the Unthinkable: The Need for Greater U.S.-Japan Dialogue on Taiwan” by Will Nelson (Aomori 2017-2019)

2022

• July 2022: “The Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade and Evolution of the Japanese Self-Defense Force in Regional Security” by Patrick Ripton (Okinawa and Shiga, 2001-2005)
• Spring 2022:
  • – “Marriage Equality Trajectories in the United States and Japan” by Brian Watson (Saitama, 1988-1991)
  • – “Competition of Provision: How Rivalries between Indo-Pacific Institutions Can Generate Goods for the Region” by Rikio Inouye (Toyama, 2017-2020)
  • – “US-Japan Implications of COVID-19” by Hayley Hutchison (Gifu 2013-2014)
  • – “Virtual Exchange for All: Building on US-Japan Relations to Further Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in International Higher Education” by Michele Fuji (Shiga, 2010-2013)
  • – “Telecommunication, Intercultural Competence, and Language Development: A Review of Educational Telecollaboration Between the U.S. and Japan” by Tiffany Laiyin Lao (Saitama, 2014-2018)

2021

• Spring 2021
  • – “Finding a Niche in Japan Research: JET Program Participants and Alumni” by Jeanne Beck (Nagano, 2008-2011)
  • – “Preserving Traditional Japanese Agriculture in a Modern-Day Global Context” by Lillian Rowlatt (Niigata, 2003-2005)
  • – “Why Japanese Boards of Directors Should be Held to Gender Diversity Standards of the West” by Tracy Gopal (Shiga, 1992-1993)
  • – “Prospects for the Features of the US-Japan Science and Technology Relationship” by Erik Jacobs (Hyogo, 2013 –2016)
  • – “Dispelling Three Myths about the U.S.-Japan Security Alliance” by D’Mitri A. Farthing, Jr. (Koichi, 2018-2020)
  • – “Gift-Giving as Relationship Building between the U.S. and Japan” by Mary J. Eberhardinger, PhD (Hyogo, 2008-2010)
  • – “Tonari no Piano: On Music, Cross-Cultural Understanding, and All That Jazz” by Jullian Marshall (Hyogo, 2009-2011)