Aug 6th 2017 O.A.
JET Program
A farewell party for the JET Program participants was held at a hotel near LAX on July 21st. JET Program is where local governments cooperate with the Japanese government, welcoming young English speakers to Japan. Participants will stay in Japan for 1 to 5 years. They will teach foreign language and sports to students from grading school to high school all over the country. They will work at the local government for international exchange. This program started in 1987 and this year is the 30th year. About 60 thousand people from 65 countries all over the world participated, and they are continuing to create bonds even in economically difficult situations regarding employments and working environment issues. 1500 people are participating this year from US. From them, 136 people from SoCal and Arizona have been accepted to work through resumes and job interviews. Former participants and representatives from each prefectures came to the party to give advice and ask questions. Participants went to Japan the next day, July 22nd.
Michael Chang Tennis Classic
An exhibition match of tennis player, Kei Nishikori and his coach, Michael Chang was held on Saturday, July 29th at a tennis court in Newport Beach. This is a charity fundraiser event organized by Michael Chang Tennis Classic for the HomeAid Orange County, an organization that supports the homeless. Countless fans, young to old from all over SoCal came to the tennis court to watch Nishikori and Chang play. At the press conference, Nishikori talked about his goals and gave advice to the Japanese people living in the US since he is currently basing in Florida. Since 1999, Coach Chang has supported many children and community through sports, and commented “I want to thank the people for their kindness and for cooperating with the event.” The exhibition match was done in doubles: Nishikori, Chang against Mark Philippoussis and Justin Gimelstob, tennis players that played in last year’s Grand Slam. Nishikori and Chang won the match. Afterwards, they signed autographs and took pictures with the fans.