It was announced by the Japanese government on May 14 that the state of emergency declaration related to the New Coronavirus will continue to remain in force in Hokkaido, Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo prefectures; however it will be lifted in the remaining 39 prefectures of Japan.
Even after the state of emergency is lifted, it is necessary to maintain vigilance and make thorough efforts in order to prevent a resurgence of infections. The government is continuing to call for avoiding the“Mittsu no mitsu”, or “three Cs”: Confined spaces (with poor ventilation), Crowded places (with many people nearby), and Close contact (with people).
For further information, please refer to the national and local governments’ official websites.
-Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet
-NHK WORLD
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/
CLAIR’s Department of Multiculturalism has compiled information about the new Coronavirus in multiple languages. Please visit the following link for information: https://www.clair.or.jp/tabunka/portal/info/contents/114517.php
CLAIR requests each JET participant to register for the Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call) and Contact Information Survey. These are two separate systems. Please register to both using the links below.
Safety Confirmation System:
https://asp2.emc-call.jp/clair/index_en.html
or
https://asp2.emc-call2nd.jp/clair/index_en.html
Your login ID and password are both the final nine numbers of your JET Number, omitting the first two digits (20).
Contact Information Survey: https://goo.gl/u1gVT2
Login ID: JET Number (11 digits beginning with 20)
Password: Date of birth (YYYYMMDD)
CLAIR provides the Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call) for use in times of emergency that necessitate direct action, such as an earthquake with seismic intensity of level 5-upper is reported or an emergency warning has been issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
In times of emergency, the system will send a message to JET Programme participants by the method of contact they have registered in the system. These messages require a response.
If your registered method of contact is mobile or landline telephone, the telephone guidance will be in Japanese. If you feel you may have trouble responding to such guidance, please change your registered contact method from telephone to e-mail or another written form.
Actual safety confirmation procedures are as follows:
In the case of emergency warnings resulting from, for example, heavy rains or river flooding, registered participants will receive a message from the e-mail address clair@asp2.emc-call.jp with a title like “【Heavy Rain/River Flooding】 Safety Confirmation”. The body of these messages will include a URL that will allow participants to confirm their own safety.
Confirmation groups are divided by prefecture/designated city, so participants may receive safety confirmation requests even when they are not physically near the site of a disaster. In this case, a response is still required from each individual to whom the request is sent.
With the aim of enhancing mental health support for JET participants, CLAIR offers the JET Programme Mental Health Counselling Assistance Programme. This programme provides a partial subsidy (50%, up to 30,000 yen per year) for counselling costs incurred through consultation with mental health professionals in Japan not covered by health insurance.
The coverage period for this year is from 1 April, 2020 to 31 March, 2021. The application form must be sent to CLAIR by 09 April, 2021 (Fri).
CLAIR also offers a free online service to provide JET participants with mental health assistance from professional counsellors using Web Mail and Skype.
If you would like to use this service, please access the following website. After entering the password, you will be instructed to register. You can receive up to seven Skype Counselling sessions from 1 April, 2020 to 31 March, 2021. CLAIR recommends trying the Web Mail Counselling system first. There is no limit to the number of threads you can start in the Web Mail Counselling system.
In addition to the Web Mail and Skype counselling listed above, we have established a free-dial telephone counselling service. This service is available once per month and does not require any advance reservation. Dates of operation are listed below. Please make the most of these services if you are experiencing anxiety or other burdens on your mental health.
(Operating Hours: Third Wednesday of every month, from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm.)
※Schedule for the fiscal year of April 2020 to March 2021
15 April, 20 May, 17 June, 15 July, 19 August, 16 September, 21 October, 18 November, 16 December, 20 January, 17 February, 17 March
Web Mail Counselling
Login Password: Please ask your contracting organization or refer to the e-mail version of CLAIR News.
English: https://www.kokoro-soudan.net/en/
Japanese: https://www.kokoro-soudan.net/
Skype Counselling
Login password: Please ask your contracting organization or refer to the e-mail version of CLAIR News.
English: https://www.fismec.co.jp/hiroba/en/secure
Japanese: https://www.fismec.co.jp/hiroba/secure
Counselling via Telephone
Phone number: 0120-810-803
(No advance reservation required. Calls are free of charge.)
※ Limited to one call per person per day (no annual limit)
※ CLAIR has prepared three telephone lines for this service; however, there may be times when the lines become congested. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
JET Participants finishing their term of appointment in July/August this year are strongly recommended to start planning for their departure as early as possible.
Please refer to the relevant information for departing JET Programme participants found in the 2020 General Information Handbook (Chapter 7: Leaving JET, p165-179) and the After JET Guide.
In addition, if you require a certificate of employment or letter of recommendation for your future job search, please do not forget to request it from your contracting organisation (samples are included in the appendix of the manual for contracting organisations and After JET Guide as a reference).
General Information Handbook: jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
After JET Guide: jetprogramme.org/en/ajg/
All JET participants are strongly advised to register with their home country’s embassy or local consulate while living in Japan, as your embassy may be able to help you and your relatives obtain necessary information and check on each other’s safety in times of emergency. Please ask your home country’s embassy or local consulate for details:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/protocol/index.html
The application period for the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) first test date (scheduled for 5 July, 2020 (Sun)) ended on 20 April, 2020 (Mon). Test results will be sent out in early September 2020.
The deadline to submit your documents to CLAIR is 30 October, 2020 (Fri). The application period for the second test date (scheduled to be 6 December, 2020 (Sun)) will begin in early September 2020.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/jlpt/
For those currently enroled in one of CLAIR’s Japanese language courses, please remember to plan your study schedule ahead of time. If you would like to change your course level, you can do so by accessing the Contact Information Survey site, selecting your desired course, and then clicking the ‘OK’ button at the very bottom of the page.
Participants who apply before the 10th of any given month will be able to start their course on the 1st of the following month. Once your course has started, please remember to plan your study schedule ahead of time.
http://deli3.study.jp/?multi
https://jetprogramme.org/en/languagecourses/
CLAIR provides grants to JET participants who wish to improve their English teaching skills by obtaining online certification for Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). The application package was sent to all contracting organisations in April. Please ask your supervisor for the application package, or alternatively you can download it from the JET Programme website.
The deadline for submitting your application to CLAIR is 29 May, 2020 (Fri) ttp://jetprogramme.org/en/tefl/
CLAIR and The Yomiuri Shimbun have launched a periodical column in The Japan News, a globally-circulated English language newspaper. “JET Programme Voices” is a collection of articles submitted by current and former JET participants which give a worldwide audience insight into unique experiences and achievements of participants during their time on the Programme. Instructions regarding the submission of documents are accessible from the link below.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/jetvoices
CLAIR provides an online tool to easily develop signage in multiple languages as part of continued efforts to promote disaster preparedness and internationalisation at the grassroots level. The main purpose of this tool is to allow users to create signage leading to evacuation areas, but it has many other useful templates as well. CIRs who are responsible for planning international events or translating signage as part of their work duties may find this tool helpful.
http://dis.clair.or.jp/
https://www.clair.or.jp/e/multiculture/index.html
