Posted on 03/17/2011 5:51:40 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
4 American ALTs Missing in Quake-Hit Tohoku Cities
Tokyo, March 17 (Jiji Press)--Four American assistant language teachers have gone missing in northeastern Japan cities devastated by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and following big tsunami waves last Friday, Jiji Press learned Thursday.
The assistant teachers, called ALTs, are members of the government-sponsored Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, or JET Program.
At the time of the disaster, one of them was working in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, another one in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, and the remaining two in Kesennuma, also Miyagi Prefecture, said an official of the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations, which administers the program.
The organization was able to contact the two Kesennuma ALTs immediately after the quake but has lost the communication since the tsunami hit the city, the official added. Meanwhile, the safety of all the other 528 ALTs working in the Tohoku northeastern region, which was most heavily damaged by the quake and tsunami, has been confirmed, the official said.
(2011/03/17-18:48)
P!
I was waiting for this:
A BUNCH OF NON-JAPANESE SPEAKING FOREIGNERS go through a massive earthquake and then when the TSUNAMI KEIHO comes on no one knocks on their door and says, “Hey! Big Wave Come! You Run!”
Of course, most ALTs at 2:30 on Friday should be in the Shiyakusho cooling their heels or in a classroom.
Man I hope they’re OK.
I’m an ALT in Japan . Our school’s graduation was held that day , and we were having a party for the graduated ( from 2 p.m. ) when the quake hit . We were happily unaware of the quake until 4 when we all walked downstairs to the first floor of the town building and many folks were gathered around a TV set .
What prefecture are you teaching in? When I was in Wakayama it used to tick me off the I was (private school) constantly working while many of the ALT’s were complaining that most of their day was sitting at the Shiyakusho doing nothing.
If I ever did Jet I’d try for a CIR, but the whole limited visa thing is stupid.
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