Great Decisions Group Profile: English Study Group (Japan)

Every two weeks we'll profile a different Great Decisions group from around the country. This week we spoke to a group leader from a Great Decisions group in Japan. 

Location: Kasugai City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

Group leader(s): Keiko Tsuzuku

Number of participants: 9

Schedule: Two hours, from 10 to 12, on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.

How long have you been using Great Decisions?  

We have been using Great Decisions for about 20 years.

What is the format of the group?   

Our teacher sends us some discussion questions to consider about two weeks before we meet. We then meet and go over the questions, express our views, and our teacher gives us some of the historical background of the issues.

How has Great Decisions shaped, if it has, the views of participants on critical U.S. foreign policy issues?    

I think we have learned that there are a lot of issues affecting world events that the general public doesn't usually get a chance to learn about from the mainstream media. For example, most of us were unaware of the involvement of Britain, and then the U.S., in Iranian pre- and post-World War II domestic affairs, and how this led to many of the issues affecting the region today.

Can you give us a brief biography?   

I have run a cram school (after school tutorial lessons for students from elementary to high school) for about 40 years, and I just graduated from university last month, where I majored in English.

I also published the Japanese translation for the novel So Far From the Bamboo Grove last year. I'm proud to say it has since then become a bestseller in Japan.

Why did you choose to start or lead a Great Decisions group?  

I was interested in English, and many of my friends and acquaintances also had some English experience, so I organized an English novel study group. One of our native English teachers had a background in public speaking, so we added another class that focused on giving English presentations and writing English essays. Once he returned to his home country, our next teacher recommended Great Decisions to us, and we have been using it ever since then.

Why is Great Decisions such an important program for your community?

We not only can study English, but we can also learn about what is happening in the world.   

Has Great Decisions shaped your views on U.S. foreign policy?     

Well, it depends on the issue, but I think, as in the case of Iran,1 and some of the issues affecting the Middle East, we have seen that there are long, historical roots to many of the problems we face today, which makes the study of history, and understanding its significance very important.

 

1 Iran was a 2013 Great Decisions topic.