Forty-seven Filipinos were selected to be part of the 2022 Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program, the Japanese Embassy in Manila said Tuesday.

JET is a competitive program that allows foreigners, including Filipinos to live and teach in Japan.

The Filipino participants this year, consisting of 46 assistant language teachers (ALTs) and one coordinator for international relations (CIR), are set to leave the Philippines on Aug. 14, 2022.

ALTs will work in public or private schools, or local boards of education in the prefecture or municipality where they will be assigned and will assist in classes led by Japanese English teachers.

The Embassy said the number of Filipino JET participants has increased since it started in 2014, totaling 250 as of this posting.

In a send-off reception hosted by Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa last month, the envoy hoped the 47 could further strengthen the people-to-people ties and linkages between Japan and the Philippines.

“By design, the JET Program welcomes bright young talents from all over the world to local Japanese communities and schools. Promoting mutual trust and internationalization, participants become cultural ambassadors that bridge Japan to their home nations,” he said.

“Filipino JETs do so well in this aspect, consistently paving avenues for stronger linkages between Japan and the Philippines. Our 47 ALTs and solo CIR this year are living evidence of the program’s impact and hope we will continue to walk on this path,” he added.

The JET Program was launched by the Japanese government in 1987 to deepen mutual understanding between the people of Japan and foreigners through foreign language exchange and cultural immersion. (PNA)