About JETAA DC

General Information

The Washington, DC chapter of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Alumni Association (JETAA-DC) is one of 18 regional US chapters and 37 international chapters that represent and promote the interests of former JET Program participants (ALTs, CIRs and SEAs).

The JET Alumni Association is an international association operating under the auspices of the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR), the Japan-based agency that administers the JET Program in Japan. CLAIR maintains an international directory of JETAA members and publishes Jet Streams, a JETAA newsletter distributed to all members of the international association.

The Washington, DC chapter sends regular reports to CLAIR in New York and Tokyo and has also formed a close relationship with the Embassy of Japan in DC. However, JETAA-Washington, DC is not an arm of either CLAIR or the Embassy of Japan. It is an autonomous organization that elects its own leadership and promotes the interests of its members.

The chapter currently has about 350 members and is open to all former participants of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program or its predecessors. Members participate in a variety of activities, from social events to career workshops, to community service. These include bi-monthly meetings, a bonenkai each December, a career workshop every Fall, and monthly social events ranging from ice skating to rotating dinners to hiking, etc.

JETAA members also assist with Japan and JET related activities, helping the Embassy's JET Office process stacks of JET applications received every year and interview prospective JETs. Members also volunteer at the Japan Bowl national Japanese language competition and at Washington's Sakura Matsuri, two events hosted by the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC.