CLAIR News April 2021
The State of Emergency Declaration related to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), issued in January was lifted on 21 March in all prefectures of Japan. However, semi-emergency coronavirus measures have been put in place in Miyagi, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Okinawa Prefectures. These measures will be in effect until 5 May 2021 in Miyagi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Okinawa Prefectures, and will be in effect until 12 May 2021 for Tokyo Prefecture.
The government is continuing to call for basic prevention of infection measures such as wearing a mask, handwashing, and avoiding the ‘Mittsu no mitsu’, or ‘three Cs’: Confined spaces (with poor ventilation), Crowded places (with many people nearby), and Close contact (with people).
Local governmental authorities are also asking for vigilance in combatting the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). For further information, please refer to the national and local governments’ official websites.
-Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet
japan.kantei.go.jp
japan.kantei.go.jp/ongoingtopics/vaccine.html
corona.go.jp/en/
CLAIR’s Department of Multiculturalism has compiled information about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in multiple languages. Please visit the following link for information:
www.clair.or.jp/tabunka/portal/info/contents/114517.php
NHK WORLD also provides information about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/82/
NHK Easy Japanese
www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10012293221000/k10012293221000.html
and Contact Information Survey for JET Programme Participants
CLAIR requests each JET Programme 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:
asp2.emc-call.jp/clair/index_en.html or
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: goo.gl/u1gVT2
Login ID: JET Number (11 digits beginning with 20)
Password: Date of birth (YYYYMMDD)
Following a change in operation of the Safety Confirmation system, a User Guide and notification have been sent from Contracting Organisations. Even those who believe that they are already registered with the Safety Confirmation system should take this opportunity to confirm their registration when you receive these materials.
All IDs and passwords have been returned to their default settings, so when confirming your contact details, please change your password (information about utilising the message recorder and the order of responses during emergencies is found within the User Guide, so please utilise it effectively).
With the aim of enhancing mental health support for JET Programme 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 not covered by health insurance.
The coverage period for this year is from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. The application form must arrive at CLAIR by 8 April 2022 (Fri).
※Starting April 2021, counselling institutions and individual practitioners residing overseas will also be considered eligible for the subsidy. Please consult with your contracting organisation supervisor for more information. If you wish to apply for the subsidy, you must do so through your contracting organisation.
CLAIR also offers a free online service to provide JET Programme 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 2021 to 31 March 2022. 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 offer a toll-free telephone counselling service. This service is available twice per month and does not require any advance reservation. Dates of operation from April to May are listed below. Please make the most of these services if you are experiencing anxiety or other burdens on your mental health.
April Telephone Counselling Service Dates and Times
10 April (Sat): 1pm – 4:30 pm
20 April (Tues): 5:30 pm – 9 pm
May Telephone Counselling Service Dates and Times
10 May (Mon) 5:30 pm – 9 pm
20 May (Thurs) 5:30 pm – 9 pm
Web Mail Counselling
Login Password: Please refer to the e-mail version of CLAIR News.
English: kokoro-soudan.net/en/
Japanese: kokoro-soudan.net/
Skype Counselling
Login password: Please refer to the e-mail version of CLAIR News.
English: service-fismec.net/inquiry-eng/login/
Japanese: service-fismec.net/inquiry-ftof/login/
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.
The Translation and Interpretation Course offered by CLAIR originally consisted of a 6-month correspondence course with a physical textbook and a 5-day in-person training seminar, however starting in the 2021 fiscal year we are proud to offer a new online course with new and improved material.
The new material was created based on findings from our consultations with JET Programme participants, and was made so they can utilise the results of their studies directly in the course of fulfilling their duties.
In addition, though it was originally necessary to participate in the in-person training seminar as a condition for taking the correspondence course, beginning in the 2021 fiscal year it is now possible to enroll only in the correspondence course. We hope that this makes it easier for JET Programme participants to participate in the Translation and Interpretation Course.
We plan to release information for this course soon, so if you are interested please ask for details from your contracting organisation supervisor.
All JET Programme 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:
mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/protocol/index.html
Is your house or apartment covered by property insurance (kasai hoken)? If you do not know, please check with your contracting organisation supervisor.
There have been several cases where JET Programme participants were forced to pay for the 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 the choice of the JET participant. However, if you are liable for damages, the costs can be very high. Therefore CLAIR recommends that JET Programme participants enroll in property insurance.
For those currently enroｌled 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.
deli3.study.jp/?multi
jetprogramme.org/en/languagecourses/
CLAIR provides grants to JET Programme 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). CLAIR will send application information to all contracting organisations by late April. The application will also be made available on the JET Programme website at that time.
The deadline for submitting your application to CLAIR is 31 May 2021 (Mon).
The JLPT Grant will be offered again for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. More information about this grant opportunity was sent out in early April and is posted on the JET Programme website.
The deadline for submitting your application to CLAIR is 31 May 2021 (Mon).
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 Programme 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.
A useful checklist for newly arrived JET Programme participants can be found on ｐ.81 of the General Information Handbook. Please refer to the checklist for tips about how to become accustomed to your new residence and workplace, including reviewing insurance policies and registering with your embassy.
The 2021 edition of the General Information Handbook is now available at the link below.
