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Speech by Consul General Kiyokazu OTA Speech at the Second Meeting of the Japanese Language Education Panel (April.20, 2011)
Good afternoon. I am pleased to see you again here at my Residence. I would like to extend a welcome to you, Ms. Shogase, Deputy Director of the Japan Foundation Los Angeles, who have come all the way to Seattle to join us at this gathering.
I share a view with you all here: language is the key to bringing people together. Japanese language is the bridge for Americans to connect with Japan. We cannot fail to support the efforts of these dedicated students who work hard to get closer to Japan. As Consul General of Japan in Seattle, I am committed to helping you succeed in your mission.
I. First Panel Discussion on November 17th
I hosted the first panel discussion on Japanese language education at my Residence on November 17th last year.
At that meeting, Mr. Kanno, Director of the Japan Foundation in Los Angeles at the time, encouraged to the group: “Be confident in yourselves,” he said. “In the United States we have an excellent and organized Japanese language education system far ahead of other Asian languages.”
The conclusion we took away from that meeting was, in a word, “advocacy.” You agreed that Yamato Nadeshiko should speak out, appealing to school principals, boards of education and the community as a whole. Keep them informed of what we are doing, why it is important, and how they can get involved. Do you remember?
I promised you we would have another meeting in half a year, and here we are: ready to take another leap forward together.
II. Merger of Associations to form the AATJ on January 29th
Over the last 5 months we have seen a number of positive achievements. The National Council for Japanese Language Teachers (NCJLT) merged with the Association of Teachers of Japanese (ATJ) to become the American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ).
This union will make it possible for primary and secondary language teachers to cooperate more closely with those in post-secondary education. For students this synergy will aid smooth transition moving from one level to the next.
The final agreement was reached when representatives of the groups involved gathered in this very room to hammer out details and reach a consensus on January 29th, which happens to be my birthday. I hosted the meeting and played a small role in the proceedings as the catering service!
III. Japanese Language Immersion Camp on March 19th
Many high school students eagerly anticipated March 19th. The Japanese Language Immersion Camp was to be held that day. Barely a week before, however, the world was thrown into shock as Japan’s Tohoku region was ravaged by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters.
After much discussion and deliberation, we decided to carry on with the camp. Amid the torrent of terrible reports, we were united in the feeling that it was important to continue the camp, not just because students had been looking forward to it, but we wanted to share sorrow as well as strength and courage with them.
The weekend was not gloomy, though. My wife and I were pleased that the students participated in many activities including eating gyu-don prepared by Chef Sakuma. Unfortunately we had to miss it to attend a memorial at the Seattle Center Kobe Bell!
IV. Japanese Language Speech and Skit Competition on March 25th
The 28th Annual Washington State High School Japanese Language Speech and Skit Competition was held on March 25th, which the Consulate co hosted with the Hyogo Business and Cultural Center. 136 students took part in the contest, performance for an audience of approximately 450. There were 4 lucky winners who won round-trip tickets to Japan as well as home stay arrangements there.
I have never seen a contest for students of Japanese language on a scale anywhere near as large as this one, nor with such big prizes for so many students! This is a great incentive for them to give their all to learn Japanese!
V. Discussions to Achieve Synergy
Today we will discuss “How We Can Strengthen Articulation in K-16 Japanese Education in Washington State.” We can be proud of our Japanese language programs for secondary education, which are the top ranked out of all 50 states! The WATJ enjoys the largest membership of any Japanese language association in the Union.
We are in a position to take a leading role in Japanese language education in the United States. Thanks to the formation of the AATJ our combined efforts will be much greater than the sum of their parts. We must tirelessly pursue the objective to weave the network of educators at all levels tighter to close gaps and further improve our already impressive system.
Let’s have a good meeting again, and do our best for the sake of the future of our students and countries.
Thank you for listening.