CLAIR News December 2025

Pinned Notices

Response to Safety Confirmation during Earthquakes and Emergencies (Safety Confirmation System)

In the event of a disaster, CLAIR uses its Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call) to verify the safety of JET Programme participants in the affected area. Responding to safety notifications is quick, so please do so immediately upon receipt. We also kindly ask that you report any updates to your contact details as soon as possible.

Safety Confirmation Registration

https://asp2.emc-call.jp/clair/index_en.html or https://asp2.emc-call2nd.jp/clair/index_en.html
Login: The final nine digits of your JET number, without the first two digits (20).
Password: Same as above
(If your contracting organisation has changed, please register your new address right away.)

Every year, emergency warnings are issued across Japan. Additionally, Japan is vulnerable to major earthquakes and other natural disasters. When these events happen, embassies and consulates may contact CLAIR to verify the safety of JET Programme participants. In these cases, CLAIR provides data from its Safety Confirmation System. For this reason, we ask that you not only respond swiftly during emergencies, but that JET Programme participants and supervisors cooperate to ensure proper registration and understanding of response procedures.

Additional Notes:

Safety confirmation requests are sent out based on the registered host prefecture or designated city. You may receive a confirmation check even if you are not physically near the affected area. Please still respond in these cases.
We cannot conduct safety checks by phone.
Prefectural advisors and supervisors who wish to conduct a Safety Confirmation System drill/simulation may contact CLAIR to request one.

Emergency Pocket Guide for JET Programme Participants

To ensure your safety in Japan, please take the time to prepare in the event of a disaster.

CLAIR has put together an Emergency Pocket Guide for use during a disaster. Please fill in the key sections and keep the guide with you at all times, as a disaster can happen at any moment.
Note: CLAIR also hands out the Emergency Pocket Guide to new participants during orientation.

URL: https://jetprogramme.org/en/emergency-support/

Contact Information Survey Registration

CLAIR requires registration of an email address to make use of online training services offered to JET Programme participants. You can also update your contact information through the same link.

Contact Information Survey (Used for non-emergency outreach): https://goo.gl/u1gVT2
Login ID: JET number (11 digits beginning with 20)
Password: Date of birth (YYYYMMDD)

Note: For JET Programme participants who were originally scheduled to arrive in Japan in 2020 or 2021, please use your pre-arrival JET number that starts with 2020 or 2021.

Mental Health Support Resources

Subsidy Application Deadline: Wednesday, 1 April 2026

CLAIR offers the JET Programme Mental Health Counselling Assistance Programme with the aim of enhancing mental health support for JET Programme participants. This Programme provides a partial subsidy (50%, up to 30,000 yen per year) for counselling costs incurred through consultation with mental health professionals not covered by health insurance.

The coverage period for this year is from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. Application documents for the subsidy should be submitted through contracting organisations and arrive at CLAIR no later than Wednesday, 1 April 2026.
Important: Please be aware that any applications CLAIR receives after the 1 April 2026 deadline will not be eligible for the subsidy.

JET Programme participants can also benefit from free counselling offered by CLAIR via email and Video Call. (via Microsoft Teams)

If you wish to use these services, please access them using the URL below, input the ID/password, and follow the instructions for registration. To help the counselling service to communicate with you more effectively, please register with your personal email address instead of a work or organizational one. If you haven’t done so yet, we kindly ask you to update your information. Up to seven video-call sessions are available between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. We recommend starting with email, which has no limits on usage.

Web mail and video call counselling

Website: https://jetcounseling.com/
Username: jet
(Please check the email edition of CLAIR News for the latest password.)

JET Programme General Information Handbook (GIH)

Every year, CLAIR updates the General Information Handbook (GIH) for JET Programme participants. Please be sure to refer to it whenever you have questions regarding living in Japan or JET Programme policies.

You can consult/download the latest version of the GIH at the link below.

URL: https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih

Time-Sensitive Notices

Japanese Language Courses (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced)

Deadline for January Intake: 20 December 2025

Important Update about the Japanese Language Courses

As of 1 April 2025, CLAIR’s Japanese language course has been renewed. Even if you were registered to the old course, you need to sign up for the new course through the following application form:
URL: https://forms.office.com/r/HeW382TWwN

Applications received before the 20th of any month will allow you to start the course starting from the 1st of the following month. Your login credentials will be sent via email. Please make sure to allow emails from addresses ending in “@attainj.co.jp”.
Note: You do not need to re-register each month.

New Course Tutorial and Course Guide

Following a change in the provider of the course, a video tutorial is available to show new students around the platform. You can find the video tutorial and course guide at the following link. We hope this new course helps you in your endeavours to learn Japanese.
URL: https://jetprogramme.org/en/languagecourses/

Regarding Unit Deadlines

Each unit should be completed within one month to ensure the course is finished in a reasonable timeframe. However, you are responsible for attending the course at a reasonable pace.
Note: Questions about course content (grammar, vocabulary, etc.) may be submitted through the course provider website. A Japanese instructor will answer them. Please note that responses may take a few days.

Applications to the 2025-26 CIR Opinion Exchange Now Open

Application Deadline: 23 December 2025 at noon

Applications for the CIR Opinion Exchanges opened! Every two years, CLAIR holds an Opinion Exchange in Tokyo in order to gather feedback from current CIRs to improve the JET Programme. See below for more details.

Date and Time: Tuesday, 24 February 2026 10:30–16:30 (the previous Monday is a holiday)
Place: CLAIR, 7^th Floor Meeting Room (1-7 Hanzomon Bldg, Kojimachi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo)
Language: The conference is entirely held in Japanese.
Themes: Training Conferences, Communication, Support offered by CLAIR, etc.
How to Apply (Only apply after getting your supervisor’s authorisation.):
Please submit your information as well as opinions/ideas about each theme within 300 characters through the application form no later than 23 December at noon.
Selection Results: You will be informed about the selection results around mid-January via notification.

Last CIR Opinion Exchange led to programme improvements like our grants’ (JLPT, TEFL/TESOL) online transition, bringing the CIR Database back, or improving CLAIR News. Please feel free to participate and share your opinions and ideas about the Programme!

For more information, please ask your supervisor.

2026 JET Programme Career Fair

Application Deadline：1 February 2026

As a part of its post-JET career support, CLAIR holds yearly career fairs in both Tokyo and Osaka. JET Programme alumni as well as non-recontracting JET Programme participants can attend freely. Please check out the details for the 2026 JET Programme Career Fair below!

OSAKA
Date: Saturday, 14 February 2026
Time: 13:00–16:00
Format: In-person
Location: Mydome Osaka, Exhibition Hall E (2-5, Honmachibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka)

TOKYO
Date: Sunday, 22 February 2026
Time: 13:00–17:00
Format: In-person
Location: Tokyo Ryutsu Center, Second Exhibition Hall, F Hall (6-1-1, Heiwajima, Ota-ku, Tokyo)

Advance registration is required to attend the Career Fair. The deadline to register is Sunday, 1 February at 23:59 JST. Please note that only JET Programme participants in their final year (those who are finishing their term of appointment in 2026) and JET Programme alumni are eligible to participate. If you intend on participating, please inform your contracting organisation’s supervisor beforehand.

Unfortunately, JET Programme participants who are not in their final year may not attend as observers. However, we encourage you to review the list of participating companies, which will be updated regularly, in preparation for attending in your final year.

For more general information about the Career Fair, including testimonials and a Q&A section, please see our dedicated webpage.

You can view participating companies and register for the Career Fair via the link below. Booths offering residency status consultations (run by the Immigration Services Agency) and career consultations will also be available.

We look forward to seeing you at the Career Fair and wish you every success in your post-JET career.

2025–26 Non-recontracting JET Programme Participants Seminar

CLAIR is offering a ‘JET Programme Non-recontracting JET Programme Participants Seminar’ to those who will be completing their tenure on the programme in 2026, as well as their supervisors and all Prefectural Advisors (PAs).

The seminar will provide information on preparation timelines, checklist items, standard tips for moving within or from Japan, essential paperwork, and post-JET Programme information. It is intended to supplement written preparation materials or any local in-person meetings organised by contracting organisations or host prefectures/designated cities.

Eligible participants:

JET Programme participants without plans to recontract
Supervisors of 1. above
PAs and host prefecture/designated city JET Programme supervisors

Note: Attendance is optional. Participation in this event should, in principle, be treated as part of working hours.

Date and time: Early February 2026 (tentative)
How to register: Notices will be sent out to contracting organisations (through host prefectures/designated cities). Interested JET Programme participants should speak to their supervisors about applying. Those interested who have not yet completed recontracting paperwork are still eligible to participate. Please speak to your supervisor.

Seasonal/Recurring Notices

2026–27 Reappointment Procedures

The time for reappointment procedures has begun for the following participants:
Those who arrived in Japan by the end of November 2025. Please begin the procedures after you receive the reappointment documents from your contracting organisation.

We advise consulting with friends, family, etc. and communicating with your supervisor before making your decision. Changes cannot be made to reappointment decisions after the submission deadline.

You should receive documentation regarding the reappointment procedures from your contracting organisations. Please read the documents carefully and consult with your supervisor if you have any questions. The reappointment documents will also be made accessible on the JET Programme website after the official notice to contracting organisations. Please refer to the link below.
URL: https://jetprogramme.org/reappointment/
(The password will be shared in the latest CLAIR News email.)

You can find more information about reappointment in the GIH (pp. 60–64). Please note that the content of the GIH may differ from the reappointment documents provided by your contracting organisation, in which case, please prioritise the content in the documents provided by your contracting organisation.
General Information Handbook (GIH): https://jetprogramme.org/gih/

Grant for TEFL/TESOL Certification

Information regarding the 2025–26 TEFL/TESOL Certification Grant has been published on the JET Programme website and sent out to contracting organisations. Details are available on the page below.
URL: https://jetprogramme.org/en/tefl/

Enquiries are to be addressed to CLAIR’s grant-specific email address: grant@clair.or.jp

Embassy Information for JET Programme Participants

CLAIR maintains a webpage on the JET Programme website for diplomatic missions in Japan to post information to the attention of JET Programme participants from their country. Please check this page regularly for updates.
URL: https://jetprogramme.org/en/embassyinformation/

Please note that CLAIR does not bear responsibility for information provided through this page. For enquiries regarding specific information, please contact the embassy in question directly.

Registering with your Embassy

All JET Programme participants are strongly advised to register with their home country’s embassy or local consulate and/or through their embassy-run travel registration system while living in Japan. 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 check the website of your home country’s embassy or local consulate for more details.
URL: https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/protocol/index.html

Home Country Taxes

Personal tax affairs in one’s home country are the responsibility of each JET Programme participant. Be sure to obtain and keep your gensen chōshūhyō, or Statement of Earnings, from your contracting organisation, as this may be necessary for filing your taxes abroad. Please refer to the General Information Handbook (GIH) for more details.
URL: https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih

Enrolment in Property Insurance

Is your house or apartment covered by property insurance (kasai hoken)? If you do not know, we recommend you check with your contracting organisation supervisor.

There have been several cases where JET Programme participants were forced to pay for damages to not only their own but also their neighbours’ housing when there were water leaks or other problems. (If a water leak occurs, damage to the property of neighbours is covered by the JET Accident Insurance Policy Liability Endorsement, but damage to your own property, as well as damage to the structure or building, can only be covered by property insurance.)

Whether or not to purchase property insurance is your choice. However, costs can be very high if you are found liable for any damages. Therefore, CLAIR recommends that participants enrol in property insurance.

Although the majority of JET Programme participants live in rental properties, earthquake insurance may also be taken to account for the cost of lost household items, such as personal computers or TVs. Therefore, please take care to research a suitable form of insurance for your situation.

Call for Writers for ‘JET Kara no Tegami’

CLAIR is searching for writers for the ‘JET kara no tegami’ (‘Letters from JETs’) column in its monthly serialised magazine, CLAIR Forum. In this column, participants share information about themselves and their activities during their appointment on the JET Programme. As CLAIR Forum is a Japanese publication distributed to local authorities and other relevant organisations, successful applicants will be asked to write their article in Japanese (approximately 1600 Japanese characters, or about 800 English words).

If you are interested in writing for CLAIR Forum, email the following information to chousei@clair.or.jp:

Name
JET number
Nationality
Job type (ALT/CIR/SEA)
Host prefecture or designated city
Contracting organisation
Affiliation (department/school, etc.)
Content you would like to write about, things you pride yourself on, etc.
Additional documents, photos, etc. (optional)

If you are selected to write for CLAIR Forum, you will receive five copies of the magazine containing your article upon publication. CLAIR staff will correct your submissions, so please feel free to get in touch no matter your level of Japanese!

Please note that we may not be able to request articles from all applicants, as writers are selected to ensure a balance between article content, placement area, nationality, and other factors. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Here are some examples of recent articles from JET Programme participants:
URL: https://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/pdf_422/12_jetletter.pdf
URL: https://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/pdf_423/14_jetletter.pdf

Back issues of CLAIR Forum are available at the link below:
URL: https://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/index.html

JET Programme Official Social Media

CLAIR regularly shares information of interest to both current and former JET Programme participants on the following social media platforms. Be sure to follow us to stay informed about upcoming opportunities and updates!

LinkedIn: https://jp.linkedin.com/company/japan-exchange-and-teaching-program-me-jet

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jet_programme/

X: https://x.com/JET_Programme