Japan Exchange and Teaching Program Alumni Association of Northern California Announces 2007 University Scholarship Program

$1,000 Scholarship Available to High School Students with an Interest in Japanese Culture

San Francisco, CA- January 17, 2007 -The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program Alumni Association of Northern California (JETAANC) today announced its 2007 scholarship program for high school seniors going onto an accredited two or four year higher education program. The JETAANC scholarship is open to students of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency, residing in the California counties north of San Louis Obispo, Kern, and San Bernardino counties, as well as all of Nevada. Applicants are judged based on a number of criteria including a demonstrated interest in Japan, Japanese language, or Japanese culture, as well as academic accomplishments, a personal essay and recommendations.

JETAANC members have all lived and worked in Japan and are committed to strengthening cross-cultural ties and to promoting local understanding and education on Japan. The aim of the scholarship is to encourage and nurture the next generation of Americans with an interest in Japan. This is the fifth year of the scholarship program.

2007 applications will are available for download at the JETAANC website (www.jetaanc.org) and applications are due by March 28, 2007. The winner will be announced in May 2007. For further information on the program as well as general information about the JET program and alumni association please visit www.jetaanc.org or send an email to scholarship@jetaanc.org

About JETAANC

JETAANC is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering local awareness and understanding of Japan and its culture, and serves as a support network and resource for current and former JET participants in Northern California. JETAANC is active in Northern California's many Japan-related cultural and artistic events, and community, educational and international exchange activities.

Members of the organization are former participants of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, which is sponsored by the Japanese government to increase mutual understanding between the people of Japan and other nations. The program aims to promote international relations in Japan's local communities by helping to improve foreign language education and developing international exchange activities at the community level.

Every year the JET Program sends teachers and coordinators for international relations to villages, towns and cities throughout Japan to teach and promote cross-cultural understanding. The program, which dates back to 1987, has employed over 46,000 people from 55 different countries since its inception. The Northern California region has strong historical ties to Japan and has been one of the largest recruiting grounds for the JET Program. This particular region has one of the largest JET alumni associations in the world, with almost 1,200 members.