Samuel Rosen

Last week, we shared Angela’s incredible story about being the first CIR in Kagawa! Well, here’s Part Two - Samuel Rosen’s path:

It would be difficult to overstate the role JET has played in shaping the trajectory of my life.

When Mum became the first CIR in Kagawa Prefecture, I was promptly enrolled in the local shogakko. Her work as a CIR seemed implausibly glamorous; working in a futuristic concrete and glass building, appearing on TV, local papers and the radio, and hosting foreign dignitaries. It was this year spent in Takamatsu, watching mum’s work as a CIR and engaging in my own “grassroot internationalisation” though my time at school, that led me to a lifelong interest in Japan and Japanese literature and instilled in me the determination to somehow get on the JET Programme and become a CIR myself when I grew up.

When I returned to school in England, I found it difficult to readjust; it was the goal of getting back to Japan that was at the forefront of my mind. I was fortunate to be accepted to study Japanese at SOAS and being the lucky recipient of a very generous MEXT scholarship in my second year, I was able to continue to pursue my Japanese studies at Keio University

Somehow, I managed to convince the JET interview panel that I would be a good candidate, so, some fifteen years after my first visit, I found myself travelling back to Takamatsu as the first second-generation CIR in Kagawa - perhaps the first in the Programme!

During Covid, I set up my own company helping Japanese SMEs export and advising British and European companies on navigating the complexities of doing business in Japan. On the non-business side, I took over the role of Chair of both Japan Society North West and JETAA Northwest. I also took the opportunity to renew my connections with the Monkasho through The British Association of MEXT Scholars (BAMS).

Like so many who have had the privilege of participating in the JET Programme, I owe a debt to Japan, and to the Japanese government, in particular, that will take a lifetime to repay. In the years since graduating from the programme, I have worked tirelessly in my own way to support Japanese companies and organisations. But whether it was setting up my consulting business, chairing various groups and societies, or organising Japan-related events, the impetus for everything I do traces back to a single point of inspiration: those formative years watching my mother serve as a CIR on the JET Programme.

That was when the passion for Japan and for grassroots internationalisation was sparked a passion that has guided my life ever since. So why have I titled this essay "Part Two"? Well, because as a second-generation JET and CIR, I see myself as the next chapter in an ongoing story—one that began with my mother as “Part One” back in mid 1980s, and one that I hope will continue with many more generations of JETs to come.

Are you a JET alum with a story to share? Get in touch to be featured in an upcoming Senpai Spotlight.