SIETAR Japan Constitution and Bylaws

ARTICLE I Name

Section 1

The name of the organization shall be: 異文化コミュニケーション学会 SIETAR JAPAN. SIETAR stands for the Society for Intercultural

Education, Training, and Research.

Section 2

Official use of the Society’s name shall be made only upon authorization by the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE II Purpose

Section 1

The purpose of the Society is to foster international and intercultural communication and cooperation through the promotion of intercultural education, training, and research in Japan.

Section 2

In order to carry out the aims of the Society, the Society will organize regular meetings and activities, publish newsletters, proceedings

and journals, and engage in other activities decided by the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE III　Membership

Membership in the Society is open to all individuals, institutions and organizations interested in its purpose and aims and shall be based on the SIETAR JAPAN fiscal year. Membership categories and membership rights and obligations shall be specified in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE IV　Administrative Structure

Section 1

SIETAR JAPAN will be run by the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee shall consist of elected officers, appointed officers, and the Chair of each Chapter.

The elected officers shall be elected by the general membership and constitute the majority of the Steering Committee. Nominations shall

be made and elections shall be conducted as specified in the Bylaws. Two-thirds of the Steering Committee shall constitute a quorum.

Section 2

The Steering Committee shall be responsible for organizing and coordinating the activities, programs, services and administrative functions of the Society, and shall serve as the policy-making body for the Society. The policies made by the Steering Committee shall

be presented to the members of the Society through correspondence or meetings.

Section 3

Steering Committee meetings may be convened by the President or at the request of at least four members of the Steering Committee.

Section 4

Each Steering Committee member except the President and the Vice President shall be the Director of his/her Committee consisting of

committee members who will assist the Director in carrying out his/her duties. The Director shall appoint his/her committee members.

Section 5

The Steering Committee may at its discretion appoint additional committees and Task Forces for the accomplishment of aims specified by it.

Section 6

Up to two persons may fill the position of Vice-President. Up to two persons may fill the position of Committee Director.

ARTICLE V　Officers

Section 1

The elected officers of the Society shall be: President, Vice-President, Membership Director, Finance Director, Program Director, Public Relations Director, Internal Relations Director, and Journal Director. Appointed officers of the Society shall be: Academic Director, Newsletter Director, Resource Director, Internet Director, International Relations Director, Conference Director, Administrative Secretary, and Financial Auditor. Chapter Chairs are also officers. 

These officers shall be appointed by the President upon approval of the Steering Committee. All Steering Committee members shall have the equal right to vote at the Steering Committee.

Section 2

The duties of the officers shall be as specified in the Bylaws.

Section 3

All elected officers shall serve for two years. The term shall start from April of the first year and end on the last day of March of the last year. All elected officers may be re-elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms.

Section 4

In the event of the resignation or a long-term incapacity of the President, the Steering Committee shall call for the election of a new President by the general membership. Should any officers become temporarily unable to perform his/her duties, the Steering Committee may appoint a temporary substitute for that office.

Section 5

The Financial Auditors shall be appointed to audit the Society’s financial records and the Administrative Secretary shall be appointed to administer the office work.

ARTICLE VI　Fiscal Policy

Section 1

The fiscal year of SIETAR JAPAN shall be April 1 to March 31. At the first general meeting of the fiscal year, the Finance Director shall present a complete fiscal accounting.

Section 2

The complete fiscal accounting shall be audited by the auditors and presented to the membership at the first general meeting.

ARTICLE VII　Amendments

Section 1

An amendment to the Constitution may be initiated by the Steering Committee or by one-fourth of the membership

Section 2

A ballot on each amendment shall be distributed to the full membership with the request for its return within 30 days. A two-thirds majority of those voting shall be required for the adoption of an amendment.

Section 3

The record of the amendments shall be kept at the Administrative Office.

ARTICLE VIII　General Meeting

The Society will hold a general meeting during the Annual Conference or upon request by the Steering Committee. At the meeting the Steering Committee will make the financial report and activity report of the past year and present policies for the current fiscal year. The meeting shall be open to the general membership. The meeting can be conducted online or by electronic communication.

ARTICLE IX　Relations with overseas SIETAR organizations

The Society shall maintain a legitimate status within the SIETAR organizations located all over the world and contribute to and comply with the SIETAR rules and enjoy rights set by SIETAR.

ARTICLE X　Relationship with Regional SIETAR Organizations in Japan

Organizations located in Japan which use the name of SIETAR or receive the services of SIETAR shall do so through membership in 異文化コミュニケーション学会 SIETAR JAPAN and receive Chapter status from SIETAR JAPAN. The conditions for Chapter status shall be specified in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE XI　The Dismissal System

An Officer of the Society can be dismissed upon approval of two-thirds of the Steering Committee or a majority of the full membership vote. The Steering Committee shall call for an election for the vacant post. Chairs of Chapters are not under the effect of this policy since they represent each chapter, which are basically independent from SIETAR JAPAN.

This Constitution is effective from April 1, 1985.

Amendments are effective from April 1, 1997.

Amendments are effective from December 1, 2013.

Amendments are effective from March 1, 2017

Amendments are effective from April 1, 2020

I. Membership and Dues

1. Privileges: Members shall have access to the newsletter, the Journal, the directory, and all the announcements of the Society. Members shall have other rights specified by SIETAR JAPAN

2. Categories: Membership shall be available in the following categories upon payment of the appropriate annual dues.

(1) Regular Member: Regular members shall be entitled to all benefits, including voting rights, newsletters, Journal, announcements, directory, and discount rates for events and programs.

(2) Institutional Member: Companies, associations, or institutions can designate 3 people from their organization to be institutional members. The institutional members shall enjoy all the privileges of Regular membership except the right to hold the position of Officer.

(3) Student Member: Student members, including undergraduate as well as graduate students residing in Japan, shall have the same privileges as t h e regular membership at student rat es.

(4) Silver Member: Members who are 70 years old or older at the beginning of the new fiscal year may have the same privileges as the regular membership at silver member rates. It is necessary to notify the SIETAR Japan office when you wish to change your status.

(5) Overseas Member: Members who are located outside of Japan shall receive the same service as Regular Members at the international membership rate which includes foreign postage. Overseas undergraduate and graduate students shall receive a student discount on annual membership dues.

(6) Honorary Member: Members recognized for special contributions to the Society will be given honorary membership status by the Steering Committee and shall be exempt from paying the regular program fee for a period of five years.

(7) Senior Fellow: Members recognized for outstanding contribution to the society and to the intercultural field for a long period of time, shall enjoy lifetime membership without payment of the annual membership fee and regular program fee.

3. Dues: Annual dues for each category shall be decided by a two-thirds vote of the Steering Committee. 

4. Members who fail to pay the annual membership fee for two consecutive fiscal years shall be disqualified from membership and must       pay the initial membership registration fee to rein state membership.

II. Duties of the Officers

1.  President : The President shall have general responsibility for coordinating the activities of the Steering Committee and for directing

     and publicizing the affairs of the organization. The President shall preside at the Steering Committee meetings and the Annual General

     Meeting. The President, with the approval of the Steering Committee, shall have the power to appoint the head of standing                        committees and the Administrative Secretary.

2. Vice President: The Vice President shall preside at the meetings in the absence of the President and shall share the duties and the            responsibilities of the presidency. In the absence of both the President and the Vice President, another member of the　                            Committee, appointed by the President shall chair them eeting.
    The Vice President shall be responsible for keeping the minutes of the Steering Committee meetings and overseeing that the policies　     are being carried out by the Committee members and Administrative Secretary.

3. Membership Director: The Membership Director shall be responsible for keeping the membership records, publishing the directory, and     shall be actively involved in organizing and implementing the membership drives.

4. Finance Director: The Finance Director shall keep all financial records, collect and disburse all funds of the Society, and present n             account of the financial status of the Society upon prior approval from the financial auditors at the Annual General Meeting.

5. Program Director: The Program Director shall be responsible for planning and coordinating programs for regular meetings and other         special events of the Society.

6. Public Relations Director: The Public Relations Director shall be responsible for promoting public relations and visibility with educational     organizations, business organizations, the media, NGOs, and society at large, and take charge of set-up and management of the              SIETAR JAPAN webpage.

7. Internal Relations Director: The Internal Relations Director shall be responsible for the annual election and other elections, organizing       the Intercultural Education Praxis Seminar (retreat), and for facilitating communication and networking among the members. 

8. Academic Director: The Academic Director shall be responsible for reviewing the proposals for the Annual Conference to maintain and      improve the academic level of SIETAR JAPAN.  The Academic Director may select an Academic Team. 

9. Newsletter Director: The Newsletter Director shall be responsible for planning and putting together the relevant articles for the Society’s     Newsletter.    

10. Resource Director: The Resource Director shall be responsible for filing and managing the resources of the Society including                     membership resources, publications, and audiovisual resources 

11. International Relation s Director: The International Relations Director shall be responsible for coordinating the Society’s activities with        other SIETAR organizations all over the world. This Director shall act as liaison with the other international organizations in                          conjunction with the Public Relations Director.

12. Internet Director: The Internet Director shall be responsible for making and administrating mailing lists to facilitate communication              among members.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

13. Conference Director: The Conference Director shall be responsible for organizing and implementing the SIETAR JAPAN Conference.        The Conference Director may select members for the Conference Committee. The Conference Committee members shall be exempt        from paying the conference fee.

14. Journal Director: The Journal Director shall be responsible for publishing a Journal once a year. The Journal Director shall select the         Editorial Board and also select a Referee Team that is independent from the Editorial Board. 

III. Administrative Secretary

With the approval of the Steering Committee, the Administrative Secretary shall be appointed by the President to do the administrative work in carrying out the responsibility of the Presidency. The Administrative Secretary may select members for the Administrative Office.

IV. Financial Auditors

The Financial Auditors shall audit the financial records of the Society. Two Financial Auditors shall be appointed by the President upon approval of the Steering Committee.

V. Nominations and Elections

1. The Internal Relations Director will send out the call for nominations for elective offices in November as a general rule.

2. Any member with at least three years of membership may nominate oneself or another member for the position. A nominee with less         than three years of membership will need to be recommended by a steering committee member. The Internal Relations Director shall        contact the nominees after consultation with the President and Vice President, and receive the nominees’ consent to be on the ballot.

3. The ballot will be sent out to all the voting members after the close of call for nomination, as a general rule, in January.

4. The result of the election shall be announced in the newsletter or other official notification method after the election.

VI. Chapters

1. A group with at least 10 members who meet regularly and has the same aims and mission as SIETAR JAPAN may apply to the                 Steering Committee to become a Chapter by adopting an appropriate constitution and by all members paying the Society’s annual dues.

2. Chapter names shall be in the form of SIETAR JAPAN Kansai and SIETAR JAPAN Chubu, etc.

VII. Special Interest Group (SIG)

Members who form a group to study a specific field may apply and be recognized as a Special Interest Group (SIG) by the Steering Committee. The SIG shall receive financial assistance from the Society. The SIG is obligated to present the result of their activity at the Annual Conference or at other SIETAR Japan events.

VIII. Amendments

Amendments to the Bylaws may be initiated by the Steering Committee or by one-tenth of the membership. To

become effective, proposed amendments must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Steering Committee.

These bylaws shall be effective from April 1, 1997.

These amendments shall be effective from December 1, 2003.

These amendments shall be effective from December 1, 2013.

These amendments shall be effective from March 1, 2017.

These amendments shall be effective from January 26, 2020.

These amendments shall be effective from August 20, 2021.