‘‘I want more JETs to come and interact with the locals in the future but due to the current situation, I cannot welcome them open-handedly. I hope life gets back to normal as soon as possible.”-Hoshi Kazuyuki, assistant director at the international affairs section at the Miyagi prefectural government.

Organizers of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program worry that foreign teachers will think twice about teaching in Japan, after the 9.0 quake and tsunami, as well as radiation leaks from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

So far, many teachers from the United States, and Canada, have opted to stay and help with recovery efforts, even after one teacher from the U.S., Taylor Anderson, was killed in the disasters.