Position Title: Website Content Researcher and Coordinator, Democracy for the Future Program, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE)
Duration: Up to 9 months, with an opportunity to extend the contract based on request from Japan Center for International Exchange
Project Overview
In April 2020, as part of its program on Expanding Support for Democratic Governance, JCIE launched a Japanese language “Democracy for the Future Website” (https://democracy.jcie.or.jp/) The purpose of the website is to act as a Japanese language resource for Japanese scholars, civil society experts and the broader Japanese public, to allow them to better understand issues affecting democracy around the world. The website features original content created by JCIE’s Democracy for the Future program, articles from experts in and outside of Japan translated into Japanese by JCIE, and summaries of news articles.
JCIE is currently seeking a part-time researcher and coordinator for JCIE’s Democracy for the Future Website. Responsibilities will include identifying news articles and analysis on democracy-related topics and development that are only available in English, and drafting summaries of selected articles in Japanese for our Japanese audience, as well as an additional research project.
Job Description
The position will work closely with JCIE’s democracy program team based in Tokyo and the United States (New York and Washington, DC) to provide the following main services, including one routine support and a single research project.
Routine support:
- Identify and propose at least 4-5 English language content pieces every month for JCIE to consider posting on the Democracy for the Future website. JCIE staff will select among those proposed which ones to summarize on a rolling basis, with a goal to post at least 2-3 summaries per month. The articles should address issues related to democratic governance and norms in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world. Suggested articles should be not only from US-based publications, but from a diverse range of sources, with an emphasis on articles that are accessible without a paid subscription.
- Once JCIE staff selects which articles to post, draft a Japanese-language summary (300-500 characters) of the selected articles. The position will work on reflecting any comments and edits by JCIE to finalize the draft.
- Once JCIE staff finalize the drafts, post the final version of the summary on our Democracy for the Future Website, using WordPress and Elementor.
Research project:
In close consultation with JCIE staff, the position will conduct research on the following two topics and produce a written summary of those findings in Japanese to publish on the Democracy for the Future website. JCIE staff will request periodic updates on progress on the research tasks:
Qualifications
- Native-level Japanese fluency and business-level English fluency
- Knowledge of key issues discussed in the field of democracy and ability to quickly learn the terminology used in the field
- Experience in English-to-Japanese translation and content writing in Japanese language
The following areas are not required, but preferred:
- Experience working with a nonprofit/thinktank working on international affairs related issues
- Proficiency in WordPress
Service Term & Fee
The position can be onboarded as early as August 2023. JCIE will provide JPY 50,000/month for the routine services of finding and summarizing articles, with the expectation of approximately 4-5 articles summarized each month. For the single research project, JCIE will provide a fee of JPY 200,000 to be paid in installments.
Contact: For questions or if interested, please contact Stephen Mchugh ([email protected])
