The Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (AJET)

What The Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (AJET) does

The Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (AJET) is a Tokyo-based non-profit volunteer-run association founded in 1988 to support participants of the JET Programme (Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme), a Japanese government initiative that places English-speaking foreign nationals in roles as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs), Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs), and Sports Exchange Advisors (SEAs) across Japan. With a core team of 12 employees, AJET operates as the official national community organization for this cohort, offering a Resource Center covering living-in-Japan guidance, health and safety, workplace integration, teaching resources, professional development, and life-after-JET transition support. The organization maintains Regional AJET Chapters in all Japanese prefectures where JET participants are placed, alongside Special Interest Groups, JET Alumni Groups, and an annual Opinion Exchange feedback mechanism with CLAIR (Council for Local Authority International Relations).

AJET's primary product surface consists of three core offerings: the AJET Resource Center (a web-based knowledge hub), CONNECT Magazine (a monthly publication covering arts, culture, wellness, and community content for the English-speaking community in Japan), and AJET Professional Learning Seminars (a series of educator-focused seminars with downloadable PowerPoint and PDF templates for ALTs). The organization supplements these with structured alumni services, including graduate school resources for JETs returning to academia. The technical platform is a standard WordPress-based website (ajet.net) with no mobile app, no disclosed APIs, and no proprietary technology stack beyond standard content management and social media distribution (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube).

As a non-profit, AJET does not charge membership fees or subscription pricing; its operations are funded through sponsorship relationships (including CLAIR for the JET Programme itself) and volunteer contributions. The organization has no parent company, no venture capital backing, no acquisitions, and no subsidiaries. AJET functions as a community association rather than a commercial enterprise, with its value proposition centered on peer-to-peer support, institutional representation of JET voices to policy bodies, and continuity of community across the JET participant lifecycle.

Name

The Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (AJET)

Legal name

The Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching

Website

https://ajet.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AJET is a volunteer-run non-profit founded in 1988 that serves as the official national community organization for JET Programme participants (ALTs, CIRs, SEAs) in Japan, providing resources, regional chapters, professional learning seminars, and CONNECT Magazine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AJET is a non-profit volunteer-run national association that provides community support, practical resources, publications, and professional development for participants of the JET Programme (Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme) living and working in Japan. Its core offerings include the AJET Resource Center (covering living in Japan, health and safety, workplace, teaching, professional development, and post-JET life), the CONNECT Magazine monthly publication, Professional Learning Seminars for ALTs, Regional Chapters across all Japanese prefectures, Special Interest Groups, JET Alumni Groups, and the annual Opinion Exchange feedback mechanism with CLAIR.

Product overview

AJET operates as a community organization offering a unified platform of resources and publications for JET Programme participants in Japan. The core offerings include the AJET Resource Center (providing practical guidance on living, working, health, and teaching in Japan), CONNECT Magazine (a monthly publication covering arts, culture, entertainment, and community), and AJET Professional Learning Seminars (educational content for ALT professional development). Supporting products include Regional Chapters, Special Interest Groups, JET Alumni Groups, and Opinion Exchange mechanisms with CLAIR.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CONNECT Magazine: A monthly publication created by the English-speaking community in Japan, sponsored by National AJET, covering events, entertainment, arts, culture, fashion, wellness, sports, language, and community content.

Products and services

• AJET Resource Center Central online hub providing comprehensive resources for JET Programme participants covering living in Japan, health and safety, workplace guidance, teaching materials, professional development, and life after JET.
• CONNECT Magazine Monthly publication created by the English-speaking community in Japan, sponsored by National AJET, featuring content about arts, culture, entertainment, fashion, wellness, sports, language, community, and travel.
• AJET Professional Learning Seminars Series of professional learning seminars supporting newly arrived and current ALTs as they transition into teaching roles, based on feedback from the 2023 Opinion Exchange Survey.
• Regional AJET Chapters Local AJET chapters across Japan providing regional community support and networking for JET participants.
• AJET Special Interest Groups Groups connecting JETs who share common interests and professional backgrounds.
• JET Alumni Groups Groups for former JET Programme participants to maintain connections and support.
• Opinion Exchange with CLAIR Annual feedback mechanism allowing JETs to provide input to CLAIR (Council for Local Authority International Relations) on their JET Programme experience.
• Graduate School Resources Resources for JET alumni considering returning to academia, including graduate school recommendations, application timelines, and TESOL/international education program information.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Borderlink: Another major ALT dispatch company operating across Japanese prefectures. Comparable to AJET in serving the same ALT community, although via paid employment contracts rather than community support.
• Interac: One of the largest private dispatch companies placing Assistant Language Teachers in Japanese schools. Targets the same ALT workforce as AJET (often former JETs and JET hopefuls), making it a directly adjacent market participant even though its business model is commercial rather than volunteer-run.
• USJETAA (United States JET Alumni Association): National alumni association for former U.S. JET Programme participants. Most directly comparable to AJET in mission (supporting JET alumni and current JETs), volunteer structure, and content programming, though operating from the U.S. side of the community.
• Amity Corporation: ALT placement and English education company with broad presence in Japanese schools. Shares the same end-user base as AJET — foreign English teachers in Japan — and competes for the same recruitment funnel.

Broad incumbents

• JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency): Japanese governmental agency running international cooperation and volunteer dispatch programs (including the JOCV program). Comparable structurally as a Japan-based organization supporting foreign nationals living and working in Japan on exchange programs.
• Berlitz Japan: Global language education company with Japan operations. Adjacent industry peer focused on paid language instruction, in contrast to AJET's free volunteer community model.
• ECC (ECC Co., Ltd.): Large Japanese language education and eikaiwa provider. Comparable only in the broad English-teaching-in-Japan category; ECC is a commercial incumbent rather than a volunteer community organization.
• Japan Foundation: Government-affiliated organization promoting international cultural exchange and Japanese-language education globally. Operates in a broader remit but overlaps with AJET on cross-cultural support, Japanese-language resources, and connecting international participants with Japan-based programs.
• NOVA Holdings: Parent of NOVA and related English-language schools in Japan. Adjacent incumbent in English-teaching services, with overlapping interest in the foreign-educator labor pool that AJET supports.

Others

• CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations): Japanese government-linked organization that administers the JET Programme on behalf of local authorities. Closely tied to AJET via the Opinion Exchange and shared mission; not a competitor but the institutional counterpart whose policy decisions shape AJET's user base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6M4M-a-Y7xWSaY3pl7Vv_w
• Facebookfacebook.com/ajetconnect
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-association-for-japan-exchange-and-teaching-ajet-
• Instagraminstagram.com/ajet_connect
• Xtwitter.com/AJETConnect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (AJET)