The 5th JAOS Certified Counselor Training Course screening seminar and certification test was held over a two-day period (sponsored by JAOS and administered by ALC Press). 15 candidates and 5 instructors participated.

Like the previous screening and examination, we saw a drop in participants. This was perhaps due to the fact that it came just 3 months after a similar event in October. Content included workshops, a lively and productive screening seminar, a one-hour examination and group presentations. Examination results are set to be announced at the end of February.

For the 12th time, JAOS and FGER (Foreign Government Educational Representatives) got together for an annual meeting in order to discuss overseas study trends and exchange information and perspectives.

Just as it has the past two years, JAOS once again requested that FGER provide a numerical summary of what countries and programs JAOS member organizations are sending their students to. Likewise, JAOS again disclosed the number of overall students its organizations sent abroad in order to improve the understanding of industry trends. While we were only able to get about 30% participation during the initial year, last year saw a dramatic increase in the amount of information divulged, as we were able to collect 70% of student data. This year, perhaps due to the fact that there was not much time to prepare data, the number of members participating in this activity unfortunately dropped by half. This sensitive information has a direct link with sales figures and might be difficult for some companies to divulge. However, this activity is necessary for cultivating a stronger study abroad industry.

JAOS also used the meeting as an opportunity to provide an update concerning the "JAOS Certified Counselor Training Course and Certification Test." More than half of the FGER member organizations have already consented to officially support our program by lending their names to our JAOS Certified Counselor Training Course literature and training materials. Moreover, we announced the continued development of JACSAC, an organization that will be made up of candidates who successfully complete the JAOS Certified Counselor Training Course and Certification Test. JAOS also detailed how our organization is checking the contents of member pamphlets and literature to make sure they follow JAOS guidelines and regulations.

Attendees included 38 representatives of 28 JAOS member organizations, 12 representatives of 7 FGER institutions (Cultural Affairs and Commerce departments of the U.S. Embassy, Japan-U.S. Educational Committee, Australian Governmental Organization for International Education, Ireland Governmental Bureau for Business Affairs, British Council and Canadian Embassy) and 3 observers, bringing the total number of participants to 53 people.

This study abroad fair was sponsored by the Public Diplomacy Department of the U.S. Embassy and held in collaboration with JAOS. As part of the event, JAOS worked with the embassy to put on a study abroad seminar. With 3,500 guests taking part in the study abroad seminar and U.S. College Catalog Fair and a total of 18,200 overall visitors, it can be said that the event was highly successful. JAOS was proud to have 5 of our successful graduates from the JAOS Certified Counselor Training Course serve as volunteer consultants at the U.S. College Catalog Fair.

This study abroad fair was sponsored by the Australian Embassy along with support from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. With 600 people in attendance, it was an extremely successful fair. JAOS provided the 52 attending school organizations with a very well-received seminar on the current state of the Japanese study abroad industry.

The sixth JAOS Certified Counselor Training Course screening seminar and certification test were held over a two-day period (sponsored by JAOS and administered by ALC Press). 32 candidates and 5 instructors took part. It involved a workshop, an extremely productive screening seminar and 1-hour examination, and evaluated group presentation. Candidates will learn if they have successfully qualified for certification at the end of July.

This seminar was held in order to inaugurate the founding of JACSAC as well as to explore the theme 'Counseling students on how to use their study abroad experiences to successfully launch careers' through a panel discussion.

It was attended by JACSAC members (counselors who successfully completed the JAOS Certified Counseling Course and Examination), staff from the international offices of Japanese institutions of higher learning, counselors from Japanese study abroad agencies, current JAOS course students and other people involved in study abroad and international exchange. Altogether, 60 people participated.

For the panel discussion, career consultant and president of the firm Estrellita, Mr. Nobuyuki Suzuki, was joined by JACSAC president Ms. Yoshiko Fujinobe and secretary general Mr. Tatsuhiko Hoshino. Citing research data and other materials gathered from the human resources departments of various companies, the panelists discussed what skills and characteristics Japanese companies look for in students who have returned from abroad.

During the second half of the seminar, participants talked about how students can prepare for their careers before, during and after overseas study experiences. Furthermore, JACSAC members discussed what kinds of advice they should give students regarding this important topic.

Last year, Mr. Hakubun Shimomura , a member of the Lower House of Representatives and Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan's 'Committee for Researching Study Abroad Issues' asked JAOS to propose a concrete plan regarding the government's goal of sending 300,000 students overseas (see link).
This 'Workshop for Promoting Outbound Study Abroad' was called for by Mr. Shimomura and Democratic Party of Japan and House of councilors member Mr. Yoshitake Kimata in order to discuss the creation of a special supplementary budget for 2009. In addition to Mr. Shimomura and Mr. Kimata, participants included lower house representatives Ms. Yasuko Ikenobo (Komeito Party) and Mr. Hiroshi Hase (LDP) as well as Mr. Kusuo Oshima (DPJ - Democratic Party of Japan) and Ms. Aiko Shimajiri (LDP) from the House of Councilors.

JAOS and JAISE (Japan Association of International Educational Exchange Organizations for High School Students) were asked to explain the current overseas study situation in Japan and present a concrete proposal concerning how outbound overseas study for high school students might be promoted.

Due to this workshop, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology decided to allocate money to be used as grants for high school students wishing to go abroad through programs offered by JAOS and JAISE members.

JAOS greatly appreciates the efforts of representatives Shimomura, Ikenobo, and Kimata for helping to make these funds available and for their dedication to promoting overseas study activities through their participation in the workshop.

In order to promote overseas study by Japanese students, the Japanese government approved a special supplementary budget for 2009 that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will allocate to high school study abroad programs. JAOS members running high school exchanges and similar 1-year high school overseas programs can now offer scholarships of 500,000 yen to students who qualify based on academic merit, English ability and financial need. High schools running 1-year sister-school exchange programs will also be eligible to participate. For more details about this program (in Japanese), refer to the following links.

Hosted by IIE, sponsored by the American Embassy, and supported by Fulbright Japan (Japan-U.S. Educational Commission), this event featured a U.S. University Study Abroad Fair as well as a seminar led by Tatsuhiko Hoshino, chairman of JACSAC (Japan Association of Certified Study Abroad Counselors). The seminar was titled 'Study Abroad Preparation for a Successful Career'. All 120 seats were taken, forcing some participants to stand. In addition, 448 people attended the fair.

This JACSAC organized seminar was titled, 'Turning Problems into Opportunities - How to Handle Claims'. The seminar was led by Mr. Toshio Ishikawa, a claims expert who has for many years handled travel industry complaints at JTB's Customer Support Office. Mr. Ishikawa lectured on things such as the meaning of claims and the 6 fundamental ways to quickly handle claims before they get out of hand. In a feedback survey, many participants stated that they found the seminar extremely useful, and that they could begin implementing the lesson's content right away. One participant wrote, "By hearing about concrete examples, my confidence in handling claims has definitely increased."

For this JAOS-sponsored seminar, JAOS President, Mr. Masaru Yamada, who also chairs FELCA (Federation of Education and Language Consultant Associations), a London-based international association of of about 1,000 study abroad industry organizations, presented the results of a report titled 'International Trends Regarding Overseas Language Students', which was based on the combined data gathered from 2,000 language schools by GAELA (Global Alliance of Education and Language Associations), an international organization that represents national language school associations.

This cooperative study, which included participating agencies from FELCA and language schools from GAELA, is historically the first survey to be conducted on such an international scale.

Being just the first attempt, the results of the investigation were unable to clearly affirm worldwide market trends due to things such as a lack of survey items and sample size. However, the shear amount data does give us a comprehensive overview of inbound and outbound trends in Japan and acts as a tremendous reference for supporting study abroad. In total, 53 participants took part in the seminar.

45 participants, representing 41 JAOS member organizations (7 of which were present by proxy) attended the 2009 JAOS Spring General Meeting. Each task team reported on their activities during the second half of 2009 and announced their plans for the first 6 months of 2010. Moreover, an application status report was given regarding the JAOS Overseas Study Scholarships for Outbound High School Students (funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). In addition, the outcome report regarding the number of training participants by FELCA on a world-scale, as well as the FELCA Accreditation Code, were formally endorsed. On top of all of this, a progress report was given on the JAOS-driven Global Japan Initiative Project. One new supporting member organization was approved at the meeting. Based on our 'buddy system', this organization is in line to be confirmed as a full member after completing a 3-month probationary period.

The Japan Association of Certified Study Abroad Counselors (JACSAC) held a seminar titled, ''Getting to Know Study Abroad in China'. Participants included counselors from study abroad agencies, staff from university international exchange offices, and people hoping to become China-related study abroad counselors in the future. The seminar was lead by Mr. Namio Kamide, an experienced instructor of Chinese and study abroad expert at Hao Chinese Academy's Center for Study Abroad in Tokyo. He covered a wide array of topics, including Chinese organizations that host students, university rankings, Chinese language achievement tests and study abroad troubleshooting. Even though China only trails the U.S. as a popular study abroad destination for Japanese students, there remains a great lack of information on studying in China. Based on a participant survey, attendees gave the seminar high ranks, even calling it "Extremely Useful."