Job Opening: Japanese-Speaking Private Banker

Posted on June 25, 2011 by LM

Via University of Michigan CJS.

Private Client Direct International Banking Team – Private Banker – Troy, MI

Job Requisition Number: 110013910

Job Description

The Private Client Direct business is a part of JPMorgan’s Private Client Services business. Private Client Services is a wealth management business of JPMorgan focused on the banking, trust, and investment need of high net worth clients in the US (clients with a net worth of $1-25 million). Within Private Client Service, the Private Client Direct team is a business unit focused on servicing the banking needs of high net worth clients who are currently maintaining smaller balances with the firm. These emerging clients represent a key area of focus to drive growth for Private Client Services. The two primary goals of the Private Client Direct team are: 1) growing revenue and total client positions covered by the team, and 2) transferring large relationships to the principal relationship teams in Private Client Services and identifying opportunities successfully captured by those principal teams.

As a Private Banker, you will be responsible for acquiring, maintaining and developing relationships with affluent clients with comprehensive financial service needs. Large emphasis on commercial lending skills. Must be able to structure, negotiate and manage a private lending portfolio. Additionally, conducts client needs assessments through profiling, introduces strategic partners, and proactively manages relationships to complement the direct responsibilities of depository and credit product delivery. Requires knowledge of basic tax provisions, investments, estate planning, and insurance. Increases the bank’s share of each client’s total financial services expenditures as well as efficiently and effectively increasing the overall affluent market share. Ability to work with sophisticated clients in structuring, negotiating and monitoring loans. Ability to work together with other partners in the Private Wealth Management team.

Qualifications

  • Minimum of 5 + years directly related experience
  • Candidate must be a top individual contributor
  • Completion of a formal bank credit-training program
  • Looking for formal commercial (large corporate or middle market) credit training and lending background
  • Proficiency in building and maintaining positive client relationship
  • Demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Possesses strong creative solution and problem solving skills
  • Has the ability to mobilize internal networks and resources
  • Must have demonstrated experience in cross-selling products and an ability and track record to meet or exceed aggressive sales goals
  • Must have strong listening skills to uncover opportunities
  • Must be able to conduct high-level sales presentations.
  • Undergraduate degree required, MBA preferred
  • Must be able to speak Japanese fluently

Apply at jpmorganchase.com; search for job requisition number 110013910.

Posted in announcements, job openings, jobs | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Denver Cherry Blossom Festival

Posted on June 25, 2011 by LM

Via the Japan America Society of Colorado mailing list.

The annual Cherry Blossom Festival will be held on June 25-26, 2011, between Lawrence and Larimer, and 19th and 20th Streets (map, opens as a pdf).The event is hosted by the Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple, and you can see the full schedule here: http://www.tsdbt.org/cherryblossom/.

Official flyer [pdf]

Dilek Eccles, the executive director of JASC writes,

This is a fantastic event, with endless opportunities to experience Japanese culture. As usual, JASC will have a booth, and this year we are bringing back the fun, traditional Japanese festival game–yoyo tsuri! Please stop by and say hello; it’s always great to catch up with our lovely members and friends.

In addition, I’m happy to announce that we will again be selling raffle tickets with the grand prize of TWO, round-trip tickets from DENVER to JAPAN with Delta Airlines! The tickets are only $5 each or 5 for $20, and the winning ticket will be drawn at our 23rd Annual Consul General of Japan Charity Golf Tournament–though you need not be present to win. There are some nice runner-up prizes, including an overnight hotel stay at the Isle Casino Blackhawk, free massages, restaurant gift certificates and more! Proceeds of ticket sales benefit the educational programs of JASC and the co-hosting organization of the golf tournament, Japanese Firms Association of Colorado.

Posted in announcements, culture, events | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Time-lapses of Tokyo

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Paula

Despite our mini heat waves and sudden thunderstorms, June weather is pretty nice around here. Sometimes you just want to sit around and watch the world go by. But wouldn’t that occasionally be nicer in fast-motion? And if you were looking at Tokyo or Yokohama instead of your local city? In his July article of last year, Philip Seyfi of NihongoUp pulled together ten gorgeous time-lapses from a variety of sources to help us appreciate the beauty of the city in areas in and around Tokyo. It can get pretty distracting, but it’s well worth a glimpse at a couple of these great videos!

—

Go to the original article for more time-lapse videos!

http://nihongoup.com/blog/10-beautiful-tokyo-time-lapses/

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Job Openings at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Studies

Posted on June 23, 2011 by LM

Via University of Michigan CJS. See original and apply at the WIAS website.

Waseda Institute for Advanced Study Recruitment Information for FY2012

The Waseda Institute for Advanced Study was established in September 2006 to enable young, fixed-term faculty to focus on research activities in a rich research environment. Around 40 researchers have been working on advanced researches in a wide range of themes and with no limitation as to field of study. The Institute is currently recruiting researchers for FY2012 as detailed below.

Deadline: 13 July 2011 (Wednesday), 17:00 (Japan time)

1. Recruitment Fields

Fields corresponding to the humanities, social science, natural science, and interdisciplinary research

2. Number of Positions
About 10

3. Appointment Status

In principle, Assistant Professor or Associate Professor (without tenure)

4. Application Qualifications
Young researchers who meet any of the qualifications a. – c.

a.Persons with a doctorate. It is desirable for the doctorate to have been obtained within 10 years of April 1, 2012.
b.Persons who expect to obtain a doctorate by April 1, 2012.
c.Persons with scholarly attainment equivalent to persons who have obtained a doctorate (persons who have a completed the full term of a doctoral course etc.) as of April 1, 2012, and who have research experience at a research institution.

* Applications from women and foreigners are especially encouraged.

5. Research Theme

The Institute seeks to recruit researchers who will undertake highly creative research projects that have the potential to identify issues for the future, and carve out new fields of study in the areas of the humanities, social science, natural science, and interdisciplinary research. Waseda University has set up the following organizations and centers to promote its research activities.

*Information on this is available in Japanese. Each organization has its own English pages.

6. Duties

(1) Research activities in accordance with the Research Plan submitted at the time of employment.
(2) In principle, researchers could teach within three full-year classes per year (equivalent to within six half-year classes).
*“One class” means one 90-minute lecture in a week.
*If the researcher works as a Part-time Lecturer at a university other than Waseda, approval from the Director of the Institute beforehand is required.
(3) Other duties include:
a. Attendance at meetings of the Institute
b. Cooperation in symposiums and so on, sponsored or cosponsored by the Institute
c. Writing and publishing research papers (in international journals if possible)
d. Presentations to academic conferences (at international conferences if possible)
e. Publishing of research findings in the Institute bulletin or discussion paper, etc.
f. Applying for a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI)
(Acquisition of public or business contract research grants or subsidies as well is desirable.)
g. Other matters deemed necessary by the Director of the Institute

7. Working Conditions

(1) It is expected that the research and other tasks at Waseda University will be the major activity of the researcher.
(2) Place of Work: Waseda Campus, Waseda University
*However, it is possible to conduct work elsewhere such as at other campuses depending on the purposes of experiments, and field surveys.
(3) Other working conditions will be in accordance with regulations of Waseda University.
*Maternity, parental, and nursing leave are available in accordance with regulations of Waseda University.

8. Salary

A salary will be paid in accordance with regulations concerning payment of salary of Waseda University.

9. Period of Appointment

Three years from date of recruitment
In principle, it will start from April 1, 2012.

10. Selection Procedure

(1) First selection stage (document screening)
*Applicants will be notified of selection results by e-mail mid August.
(2) Second selection stage (document screening)
*Applicants who pass the first stage should submit their principal research achievements (three or fewer, with five copies of each) by the end of August. Requirements for the second-stage submission will be sent to applicants who pass the first stage.
(3)Third selection stage (interview)
Late October 2011 (tentative)
* Applicants who pass the second stage will be notified of further information by one week before the interview date.
* Travel expenses to the interview (Waseda Campus, Waseda University) are to be borne by the applicant.
(4) Notification of Results
December 2011 (tentative)

11. Application Procedures

Complete Online Registration Form on the website and submit the application documents specified in 12 below through use of the Online Registration Form. When the registration is successfully completed, a confirmation message will be sent to the e-mail address provided to us. Please note that the application documents specified in 12 below cannot be accepted by e-mail, post or any other procedure than submitting through use of the Online Registration Form.

12. Application Documents

(1) Curriculum Vitae (Please use the specified form.)
(2) Research Plan (Please use the specified form.)
*Submitted documents will only be used for the purpose of screening researcher candidates.

Application Documents are on the WIAS website (see #12).

Posted in announcements, job openings, jobs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Job Openings at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Studies

Job Openings: Faculty Positions at Keio University

Posted on June 23, 2011 by LM

Via University of Michigan CJS:

Keio University, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC)

HIRING: Faculty Positions

Deadline: August 25, 2011

To achieve a more global education, Keio University is implementing courses taught in English by scholars from abroad. Keio University SFC is seeking candidates for various faculty positions – Assistant, Associate, or Full Professors in the following fields:

-Japan Studies
-Super-aging Society
-Contemporary Politics
-Social Informatics
-Innovation Studies
-Computer Science and Information Systems
-Life Science
-Media Design
-Urban Space Design
-Japanese Language Education

Recent PhDs welcome (expected to receive PhD by March 2012.)

Faculty will begin instruction in 2012 or 2013 and will conduct lectures in English.

For more information regarding application procedures, qualifications, etc, visit the SFC website at: http://www.sfc.keio.ac.jp/en/employment/available_positions.html

Posted in announcements, job openings, jobs | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

IUC Series: Housing – Monthly Mansion vs. Apartment

Posted on June 22, 2011 by curtika

Photo by Alissa Murray

Wondering what to do about IUC housing? We plan on featuring a couple different articles on the subject with all the basic info you need! A guest contributor here at Shinpai Deshou, Karen will be starting us off. Enjoy!

**

When considering where to live for the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama, among other options, you might consider a Monthly Mansion, which are furnished rooms or apartments, or finding an apartment.  I lived in three different places during my time at IUC.  Two of those three were in Monthly Mansions and the other was a regular apartment.  In addition to the living arrangement information that IUC provides you with, I have listed below the different qualities of each place that I lived as I observed them.  I hope that you might find this helpful if you are considering a Monthly Mansion, apartment, or different option.

Monthly Mansion

Monthly Mansion Pros:

Renting a Monthly Mansion with the help of the IUC requires minimal set-up and planning on your part.  Not only is this a living option that can be easily arranged outside of Japan, once you do arrive the room is ready for immediate use, including utilities.   Your fees include the utilities and furnishing for these places, so you do not need to worry about paying individual living expense bills.

Weekly Mansion Tokyo “Sakuragi-cho Part 1”

Price: averages $1,000/month

Location:  Sakuragicho, easy walk from Sakuragicho-eki

IUC Transportation: About 20min walking distance

Space:
Small.  Very small.  You might find yourself cramped, especially if you plan to be there for an extended period of time.

Internet:
Although this place provides you with Internet access, when I lived there the connection was so slow that I could not load my e-mail to check it on a regular basis and Skype was out of the question.  I do not know the situation now.

Pros:
Compared to other places, this one was quiet.  It is not located on the main road, which helps to decrease noise from the surrounding area.

You can pay your bill directly to the front desk staff.

Cons:
Aside from the Internet problem and small living area, the biggest one for me was that there was no kitchen.  One fellow IUC student did not like to cook and ate out or got take-out everyday, but I wanted to be able to cook easily and could not.

You should also be aware that guests are supposed to be checked in at the front desk and guest hours end at 9pm.They do have coin laundry in the building, but there is no laundry machine in your room.

Yokohama Monthly “Sakuragi-cho HG-2”

Price: averages $2,400/month

Location: Sakuragicho, 5min. walk from Sakuragicho-eki

IUC Transportation: About 20min walking distance

Space:
For Japan, very spacious.  This place had a main bedroom, a small kitchen, and a very nice bathroom.  It was great and would have been a great place to live the whole time.

Internet:
High-speed Internet access.  I experienced no problems with my Internet.

Pros:
In addition to the basics, this place comes with a microwave, medium-sized refrigerator, basic kitchen utensils, rice-cooker, and laundry machine.

You were also allowed to have guests over at any time and they could spend the night without any additional fee.

Cons:
For the place I lived in, you needed to pay the main office the rent money.  This means that each month you need to make a trip to the office, which is about a 7min walk from Yokohama-eki (one station away from Sakuragicho-eki).  This is not a very big con, but something to consider.

The biggest con for me was the noise.  My building was located on the main road, so I had some trouble with the traffic noise at night.  Heavier sleepers probably will not have this problem, but lighter sleepers might think about a comfortable set of ear-plugs.

Apartment Found through Realtor

Price: average $800/month plus several fees at the beginning.  Plan to spend upwards of $2,800 at the beginning.  While this is a lot of money upfront, taking into consideration the lower cost of monthly rent as compared to the Monthly Mansion option meant that I paid only a little more than I would have if I had stayed with the $1,000/month Monthly Mansion.

Location: Anywhere you can find one.  My apartment was very conveniently located in Noge-cho, just across the street and a one block away from the $2,000/month Monthly Mansion.

IUC Transportation: Depends on location.  Mine was about a 20min walk .

Pros:
It is your apartment, so barring any big changes and not damaging it, you can do anything you want with it.  The place I found was only a few years old, had a nice little kitchen, and a great modern bathroom.

Finding your own apartment, in my opinion, is a better value for your money than a Monthly Mansion.  However, an apartment does involve more work on your end to find and acquire.

Cons:
The biggest con is probably finding an apartment.  I have listed some helpful sites below, but you will still need to go to a realtor, discuss your options, and go through the process of proving you can pay for the apartment for the rental period of time.

Unlike the Monthly Mansions, most apartments come completely unfurnished (including washer and refrigerator).  It is not difficult to rent furniture and not very expensive either.

You will need to set-up Internet on your own.  I found that getting the wireless Internet option now available through cell phone companies was the best option.  It was reasonably priced, provided good speed, and allowed me to avoid the hassle and long process of hikarifaibaa (light fiber) installation.

In Sum

There are several different options for living arrangements for IUC outside of a Monthly Mansion or finding an apartment.  In sum, choosing a Monthly Mansion is among the easiest things to do since it does not require you to use Japanese or be in Japan to arrange it.  The Monthly Mansion also handles all of the utilities for you and is set-up upon arrival.  Finding an apartment, on the other hand, requires you to interact in Japanese with the realtors, set up your own utilities and Internet, and furnish your place.  Despite all of that, an apartment can be a great deal and allow you more freedom than a Monthly Mansion, particularly if you cannot afford the more expensive Monthly Mansion option.  There are other living arrangements available for IUC, but if you are considering either a Monthly Mansion or finding an apartment, I hope that some of this information has helped you weigh the possibilities.

Useful Links:

Apartment Search:

http://www.apamanshop.com/
http://www.chintai.net/
http://www.able.co.jp/

Furniture Rental:

http://www.kasite.com
http://www.chintai.net/oyakudachi/rental/

If you’re considering homestay, see Paula’s article on choosing an unaffiliated homestay, which is what she did during her time at the IUC. Coming up we’ll also be featuring similar information as the above on some of the apartments the IUC helps students with renting at a discounted rate.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment!

– Karen C.

===

Karen Curtin graduated from The Ohio State University in 2008 with an M.A. from the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department and a concentration in Japanese Language Pedagogy.  She attended the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies 2009-2010.

Posted in graduate school, housing, living abroad, study abroad, summer program, undergraduate, useful links | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Call For Papers: The Pacific War 1941-5: Legacies, Heritage, Culture

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Paula

Location:  Australia
CFP: The Pacific War 1941-5: Legacies, Heritage, Culture
5-7 December 2011, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

This conference aims to bring together scholars working on the cultural, social and political implications of the Pacific War, and to stimulate debate about the war’s impact, legacies and continuing resonances.

Papers are invited which explore the following themes:

– The commemoration, remembrance and representation of the Pacific War in heritage sites, museums, monuments, battlefield tours, ceremonial occasions and key anniversaries;
– War crimes trials and the questions of justice, apologies, reparations and compensation claims;
– Decolonisation, independence movements and counter-insurgencies;
– Repatriations, home-comings and returns
– Cultural productions focused on the impact and legacy of the war, including literature, theatre, film and television series;
– Relationships between former colonial powers, the US and USSR, Commonwealth nations such as Australia and New Zealand, Japan and new, independent Asian nations in the post-colonial world.
– Contested histories and historiographies of Japanese imperialism, the Pacific War and its aftermath;
– Teaching the legacies of the Pacific War in schools and universities

If you would like to offer a paper, please send a brief, 1-page CV and title and proposal of 200 words to the conference organisers by 1 August 2011.

Associate Professor Christina Twomey (christina.twomey@monash.edu) Dr Ernest Koh (ernest.koh@monash.edu)

Successful proposals will receive notification by 15 August 2011.

Posted in announcements, conferences, graduate school | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Job opening: Manga and Animation Instructor

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Paula

The IES Abroad Tokyo Center seeks a qualified instructor for Anthropology 343 “Japanese Manga & Animation,” for the fall (September through December) semester, 2011.The course meets one afternoon per week for three hours; instruction to be conducted in English.

IES Abroad is a U.S.-based educational organization overseen by a consortium of universities and colleges. It instructs over 4,500 undergraduate students abroad each year in programs located throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America. Located in the Chiba, Makuhari area, the IES Abroad Tokyo Center offers a rigorous academic program to students from institutions all over the U.S., through partnerships with Kanda University of International Studies and Meikai University.

IES Tokyo programs are established on the educational belief that students learn the best and most through participation in and interaction with the local culture within which they are living and studying.

Qualifications & Compensation

Qualified candidates must hold a graduate degree in an appropriate field (PhD or ABD preferred); teaching experience, and familiarity with American higher education system is a plus. Applicants must hold residency status in Japan that legally permits them to work here.

Compensation will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and will include reimbursement for transportation expenses. Continuing faculty are also eligible to apply for small grants offered to assist with travel to professional conferences or other research-related expenses.

This is contract position and open to renewal in subsequent semesters. For further information contact Karl Friday, Center Director at kfriday@iesabroad.org .

How to Apply

All applicants should submit a letter of interest, CV, and names and contact information for three letters of recommendation to:

IES Abroad Tokyo Center
Attn: Manga/Anime Search
1-7-1 Nakase, SCEC Bldg. 3rd Fl
Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi
Chiba-ken 261-0023

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

IES is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified candidates.

Posted in announcements, job openings, jobs, living abroad | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Funding Opportunity: The Rotary Yoneyama Scholarship

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Nyssa

http://www.rotary-yoneyama.or.jp/overseas-s/index_english.html

Rotary Yoneyama Memorial Foundation, Inc.（RYMF) will start a new scholarship program for overseas students scheduled to enroll in a Japanese university or graduate school under Japan’s pre-arrival University Admission System.

The Rotary Yoneyama Scholarship for Applicants Residing Abroad, or “Overseas Application Scholarship” for short, is carried out as special program to support overseas students in the most-difficult first years of their enrollment in Japanese universities and graduate schools. Japanese language ability is not evaluated in the application-screening process.

Eligibility Requirements

(1) Have already chosen the university or graduate school s/he will apply for
(2) Be in the process of applying for admission
(3) For the subject university to have a system for issuing “pre-arrival
admission approval(*).”

* “Pre-arrival admission approval” is a system whereby applicants to Japanese universities and graduate schools are allowed to take the entrance examination and apply for admission while in their countries without having to come to Japan to do so.

Number of Awardees
Thirty-four (34) applicants are scheduled to be selected — one from each Rotary district.

Scholarship Amounts
(1)Undergraduates:　　 100,000 yen per month
(2)Master’s students:　 140,000 yen per month
(3)Doctoral students:　 140,000 yen per month
(4)Research students：　100,000 yen per month

Supplemental
Only for the first year of the scholarship, a supplemental of 400,000 yen is provided upon arrival in Japan.

Application deadline: October 15, 2011 for both April and October 2012 enrollments.

Contact Information
Rotary Yoneyama Memorial Foundation, Inc.
FAX: +81-3-3578-8281
E-mail: scholars@rotary-yoneyama.or.jp

See the website for more information
http://www.rotary-yoneyama.or.jp/overseas-s/index_japanese.html

Posted in announcements, applications, financial assistance, funding, graduate school, study abroad, undergraduate | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book announcement: Japan’s Siberian Intervention, 1918-1922: “A Great Disobedience Against the People”

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Paula

Now available from Lexington Books, an imprint of Rowman and Littlefield, as the second title in their New Studies of Modern Japan series.

http://www.lexingtonbooks.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=%5EDB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0739146009

Hard cover ISBN: 978-0-7391-4600-2, $75.
Soft cover ISBN: 978-0-7391-4601-9, $29.95.

The first complete narrative of the Japan’s Siberian Intervention in English, and the first book on this topic in over fifty years, I place the intervention in the context of the evolution of Japanese imperialism and its domestic politics. The intervention represents an important and overlooked missing link in the larger narrative of Japan’s quest for modernity through empire and the ambivalent relationship of the Japanese with their imperial mission. The fifty months of the Siberian Intervention encompassed the existential crisis which affected Japanese at virtually all levels when confronted with the new “world situation” left in the wake of the First World War. From elite politicians and military professionals, to public intellectuals and the families of servicemen in small garrison towns, the intervention was perceived as a test of how Japan might fit itself into the emerging postwar world order. Both domestically and internationally Japan’s actions in Siberia were seen as critical proof of the nation’s ability, depending on one’s viewpoint, to embrace or to ride out the “trends of the times,” the seeming triumph of constitutional democracy and Wilsonian internationalism. The course of the Siberian Intervention illuminates the struggle to cement “responsible” party cabinets at the heart of Japanese decision making, the high water mark of efforts to bring the Japanese military under civilian control, the attempt to fundamentally reshape Japanese continental policy, and the hopes of millions of Japanese that their voices be heard and their desires respected by the nation’s leaders. The book attempts a broad examination of domestic politics, foreign policy, and military action by incorporating a wide array of voices through a detailed examination of public comment and discussion in journals and magazines, the major circulation daily newspapers of Tokyo and Osaka as well as those of smaller cities such as Nara, Mito, Oita, and Tsuruga.

Posted in announcements | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment