13 Jamaicans selected for 2026 Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme

Jamaica: Thirteen Jamaicans have been selected for the 2026 Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme and will soon travel to Japan to serve as Assistant Language Teachers. The successful candidates were recognised during a farewell luncheon hosted by Japan's Ambassador to Jamaica, Kohie Maruyama, in Kingston on Wednesday, July 23.

The selected group consists of 12 women and one man. According to the Embassy of Japan, none of the participants have already started working in Japan.

Ambassador Maruyama congratulated the participants on their selection and also encouraged them to share the heart of Jamaica with the people of Japan.

Permanent Secretary and Head of the Jamaican Foreign Service, Ambassador Sheila Sealy Montieth, also congratulated the participants. 

She spoke about the meaningful contribution that they would make to the education system of Japan while representing Jamaican culture.

She said that the participants would help to promote English language learning, improve cross-cultural understanding, and also make the people-to-people ties between Jamaica and Japan stronger.

Ambassador Sealy Monteith also pointed to the strong bilateral ties between the two countries and said that people-to-people exchanges, which include the exchanges through the JET Programme, help enhance the relations between Jamaica and Japan.

She also thanked Ambassador Maruyama, the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for their continued support and collaboration.

The JET Programme is an international exchange programme, which is run by the Government of Japan. It places university graduates in schools and local communities across Japan, with the aim of enhancing foreign language education and to promote cultural exchange.

According to the Embassy of Japan, more than 470 Jamaicans have participated in the programme which helped in making the bilateral relations at the grassroots level deeper.