As globalization continues to develop and shape our lives, it has become quite apparent that survival in the 21st century will require individuals to face the reality of a world that is growing smaller everyday. Furthermore, it is also becoming obvious that, in order to cultivate people who can widely contribute to both Japanese and international society in the 21st century, overseas study in the form of educational training and cultural exchange programs are increasingly important experiences for everyone, not only for those people in particular fields or with special circumstances.

However, at the same time, due to reasons both historical as well as geographical, many Japanese people remain extremely unaccustomed to interacting with foreign cultures, and thus, view the act of studying abroad as something distant and unattainable. This is a problem that the study abroad industry currently faces.

Under these current circumstances, both individuals and organizations working within the overseas study industry have an important social mission as well as a great amount of responsibility. The Japan Association of Overseas Study (JAOS) takes on a supportive role within the industry by responsibly gathering diverse members of the study abroad community in order to find solutions to study abroad related issues and problems. Simultaneously, JAOS educates consumers about the industry and creates a dependable study abroad environment by building strong mutual relationships between member organizations, educational organizations both at home and abroad, Japanese government institutions, and foreign governments. Our aim is to provide abundant information, training and research on study abroad topics for residents, educators and non-governmental organizations in Japan. Furthermore, through advising consumers on overseas study related issues, JAOS hopes to contribute to the cultivation of a more international society.

• Holding of JAOS Semiannual (spring・autumn) General Meetings.
• JAOS-FGER Joint Meetings:
  FGER (Foreign Government Educational Representative) is composed of education officers representing the embassies of Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, U.K., U.S.A., and France. ERA and JAOS meet once yearly chiefly to exchange information.
• Visa Seminars Jointly hosted by JAOS and the American Embassy:
  These study sessions predominantly focus on visa complications stemming from the events of September 11, 2001, as well as changes in the U.S. visa application process.
• JAOS-JATA Joint Workshops:
  JAOS and CIEL (Council of International Education and Language Travel Japan), the homestay-related section of JATA (Japan Association of Travel Agents) hold joint workshops to discuss new laws related to consumer contracts for overseas study.
• JAOS cooperates with the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan in the creation of study abroad research documents.
• JAOS is a participating member of FELCA (Federation of Educational and Language Consultant Associations).
• In response to the fact that many study programs are currently unregulated by law, JAOS creates model contractual terms and conditions in order to better protect consumers. Furthermore, JAOS continues to put forth much effort into researching the possibility of creating industry wide guidelines to cover all overseas study programs (also referred to as the ‘JAOS Standardized Agreement’).
• JAOS has been researching ways to train and accredit professionals in the study abroad industry. This year, JAOS began its ‘JAOS Certified Counselor Training Course’.
• When deemed necessary, JAOS holds workshops and seminars to better train its members on various study abroad-related topics.
• With the aim of taking part in even more wide-ranging activities, JAOS asked for and received NPO (Non-Profit Organization) status by the Japanese government in March of 2004.