We Are Tomodachi Spring / Summer 2018

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34Any long-term government initiative is bound to face criticism, and the JET Programme is no exception. Having recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, the youth exchange program has received its fair share of complaints, from politicians, third-party observers, and JET participants both past and present. But a former JET-turned-academic is receiving international attention for research that shows how the JET Programme boosts Japan’s soft power immeasurably. Sharleen Estampador-Hughson worked as a JET ALT in Ishikawa Prefecture, an area on the Sea of Japan coast, for three years, finishing in 2009. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time as an ALT, which is not to say that there weren’t tough times. I wanted to understand why I felt such a strong attachment to Japan, in spite of those challenges,” she says. It was this experience that inspired her to undertake a PhD in Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield. “I knew of people who initially had more nuanced feelings about their time as JETs, but nevertheless went on to gain something useful from their experiences. I wanted to find out if this was the case for others. I saw that the program was having a positive effect, but I wanted to examine the exact mechanisms behind JET’s effectiveness,” she adds.“I interviewed a variety of JET alumni, from recent participants to those who took part during the 1980s. My study shows how the transformative qualities of nostalgia produce widespread and lasting soft power for Japan, which boosts Japan’s reputation and appeal to the rest of the world,” says Estampador-Hughson. “Soft power can’t be measured, but it is very powerful. The impact of the JET Programme’s soft power stems from its long-term diffusion of Japan through the cultural appeal of ideas, stories and consumer goods. This results in deeper cross-cultural communication, closer business ties and more diplomatic cooperation. In short, soft power brings the money back.”That soft power is fueled by the participants’ strong sense of nostalgia, a result of most JET participants being in their early to mid-twenties. “During this time, we are impressionable as we are continuing to form our Series: The JET ProgrammeFrom Nostalgia to Diplomacy: The JET Programme as an Engine of Soft PowerAt the Houses of Parliament, March 16, 2017, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the JET Programme. From left to right: Roger Godsiff, chair of the British-Japanese Parliamentary Group; Sarah Parsons, chair of the JET Programme Alumni Association UK; Baroness Frances D’Souza; and Koji Tsuruoka, the Japanese ambassador to the UK.©Lee Bolton Photography