CLAIR News February 2022
Quasi-emergency measures are currently being implemented in Hokkaido, Aomori, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Nigata, Ishikawa, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Kawagawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Kagoshima & Okinawa Prefectures as well as the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. The measures in Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Nigata, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Kawagawa, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Miyazaki are in place until February 13th and the rest are until February 20th.
In these regions, compliance with these measures is being sought, including self-restraint from travelling or outings to busy places and high-infection risk areas, as well as refraining from the use of eating & drinking businesses where infection prevention measures are not properly observed. People are being asked to avoid unnecessary trips between prefectures, particularly to and from special measures districts. Additionally, we should all thoroughly observe basic infection prevention measures such as avoiding the “Mittsu no mitsu” or “three Cs” (Closed spaces, with poor ventilation; Crowded places, with many people nearby; and Close-contact settings, such as close-range conversations), as well as maintaining social distancing, the wearing of masks, and good hand-hygiene.
In order to prevent the resurgence of infection, we should observe these measures during any travel which crosses prefectural borders, and act to avoid the same situations in the workplace.
In other regions, please similarly observe these measures during any travel which crosses prefectural borders, and avoid travelling if you have any symptoms such as fever. It is also important to make efforts to help prevent infection through initiatives including hand-washing and hand-hygiene, cough etiquette, social distancing between workers, ventilation of workplaces, disinfection of places touched by many people, ceasing attendance of work if there are any symptoms such as fever, testing of those with light symptoms through antigen kits, use of online meetings to avoid business trips, staggering of lunch breaks, measures in company dormitories, etc.) and avoidance of the “three Cs” (see: above), while using example cases as a reference.
For further information, please refer to the national and local governments’ official websites.
https://corona.go.jp/en/
Vaccine booster shots (a third shot) for COVID-19 are scheduled to be carried out between 1 December 2021 and 30 September 2022.
For details, please visit the following webpages from the Japanese government and local municipalities:
Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/vaccine.html
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: 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)
(Please refer to the email version of CLAIR News for the password)
*For JET Programme participants who were originally scheduled to arrive in Japan in 2020 please use your pre-arrival JET number that starts with 2020.
*A notice regarding the 2021 Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call) was sent out in mid-May. Please ensure that you confirm the content of this notice once you receive it from your contracting organisation.
In the event of a disaster CLAIR will confirm the safety of JET Programme participants using the Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call). It only takes a few moments to confirm your safety via the email you receive. Please make sure you respond regarding your safety situation when a safety confirmation email arrives, as it otherwise takes time for Host Prefectures/Designated Cities to confirm the safety of each individual JET Programme participant in the affected area(s).
In any given year in Japan, there will be somewhere which has had an emergency warning issued. The country is also prone to large earthquakes. At the moment Japan is entering a period of increased chance for emergency warnings to be issued as a result of heavy rain and typhoons. Because of this, we are asking JET Programme participants and supervisors at each contracting organisation to confirm information registered with the Safety Confirmation System and to check how to respond to a safety confirmation request should an email arrive.
Once again, if you receive a safety confirmation request email, please respond to it right away. Safety Confirmation requests are sent out based on Host 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 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).
※Since April 2021, counselling institutions and individual practitioners residing overseas are also 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.
JET Programme participants can also receive free counselling offered by CLAIR via Web Mail and Skype. If you wish to use these services, please access them using the URLs below, input the ID/password, and follow the instructions for registration. Up to 7 Skype sessions are available between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. We recommend starting with web mail, which has no limits on usage.
In addition to the Web Mail and Skype counselling listed above, we offer a toll-free telephone counselling service which does not require any advance reservation to use. The service generally operates twice per month, on the 10th and 20th (counselling days which would fall on a Sunday or holiday are instead held on the Saturday prior to that day). The counselling dates for the 2021-2022 fiscal year are listed below. Please make the most of these services if you are experiencing anxiety or other burdens on your mental health.
※＜Operating Times＞
（（Weekdays）17:30～21:00 （Saturdays）13:00～16:30
※Schedule for the fiscal year of April 2021 to March 2022 (February 2022)
10 February (Thurs), 19 February (Sat), 10 March (Thurs), 19 March (Sat)
Web Mail Counselling
(Please see the CLAIR News email for the password)
English: https://www.kokoro-soudan.net/en/
Japanese: https://www.kokoro-soudan.net/
Skype Counselling
(Please see the CLAIR News email for the password)
English:https://www.service-fismec.net/inquiry-eng/login/ Japanese: https://www.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.
CLAIR is currently accepting applications for Programme Coordinators. JET Programme participants who meet all of the following conditions are eligible to apply: those who are in their second year or later, are not being recontracted past September 2022, and who possess exceptionally high levels of Japanese proficiency. (Other conditions also apply.)
The deadline for all application materials is 24 February, 2022. Late applications will not be accepted.
The selection process is carried out entirely in Japanese, and applications can only be made through your contracting organisation, who must formally recommend you for the position. Please be advised that CLAIR cannot answer enquiries directly about the application process.
Please consult with your contracting organisation if you would like to apply for the position.
More information concerning the position is available on CLAIR’s website in Japanese only:
https://www.clair.or.jp/j/clair/docs/R4_pc.pdf
Applications have now closed for the 2022 After JET Conference and the JET Programme Career Fairs. Both events are for JET Programme participants completing their appointment on the Programme in 2022. More information about the events will be sent out to applicants soon.
After JET Conference Website:https://jetprogramme.org/en/after-con/
Career Fairs Website: https://www.2022jet-onlinecareerfairs.jp/en
If you would like to cancel your registration, please contact afterjet@clair.or.jp or fill out the form below.
Withdrawal form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KK9VY7K
For other enquiries, please contact CLAIR at afterjet@clair.or.jp.
Post JET-career talk: Using your JET experience of bridging cultures in a global career
February 23, 2022 at 7:00 – 8:30 JST / February 22, 2022 at 17:00 – 18:30 EST
Panelists will share their personal stories of continuing with a Japan-related career after JET and time in Japan, their perspectives of Japan business developments abroad, and how the experience of studying Japanese, working and living in Japan has enabled them to contribute to relations between Japan and their home countries. As the first JET event to be in Japanese only, this panel aims to inspire current JET participants and JET alumni about how they can leverage their JET experience and language capabilities while contributing to closer collaboration between Japan and overseas.
Moderator
- Miyako Kusakabe, Counsellor/Deputy Executive Director, CLAIR New York (Japan Local Government Center)
Panelists
- Jessica Cork, Vice President, Community Engagement and Corporate Communications, YKK Corporation
- Mark Keegan, General Manager, Corporate Communications and Sustainability at Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas); Director, Foundation, Mitsubishi Corporation
- David Boling, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan
- Matt Brown, Director, London, Brunswick Group
- Carmen Chan, Associate, San Francisco, Brunswick Group
Panel is cohosted by Brunswick Group, the U.S. JET Programme Alumni Association, and CLAIR New York. It is supported by Embassy of Japan in the United States of America.
Registration link:
https://usjetaa.wildapricot.org/event-4654031
JET participants finishing their appointments in 2022 should refer to CLAIR’s online After JET Guide for information about how to prepare for your successor, move out of your apartment, deal with “reverse culture shock” and prepare for your next career move.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/ajg/
Personal tax affairs in one’s home country are the responsibility of each JET participant. Be sure to obtain and keep your gensen chōshūhyō, or Statement of Earnings. Please refer to page 63 of the 2021 edition of the General Information Handbook (GIH) for more details.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
For JET participants who arrived in April, it is almost time to extend your period of stay, so please check the dates written on your Residence Card (especially JET participants in their third year who will be reappointed for another term).
For information on extending your Period of Stay or changing your Status of Residence, please refer to page 69 of the 2021 edition of the General Information Handbook (GIH).
https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
For JET Programme participants who have passed the JLPT N1, N2, or N3 conducted on 5 December 2021 (Sun), you may be eligible to receive a grant for the test fee. To check your eligibility, please read the Grant Overview and Eligibility Flowchart, accessible from the link below. If you meet the conditions, please submit your grant application (along with all necessary documents as outlined in the Q&A section) directly to CLAIR by post. They must arrive by 25 February, 2022 (Fri).
https://jetprogramme.org/en/jlpt/
It is possible to apply for online Japanese Language Courses. Please check the Japanese Language Course Guide on the official JET Programme Website, and apply through the Contact Information Survey 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.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/languagecourses/
CLAIR and The Yomiuri Shimbun have maintained 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 participant 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
To ensure your safety in Japan, please take the opportunity to ensure that you are prepared in case a disaster occurs.
CLAIR has compiled an Emergency Pocket Guide for reference in the event of a disaster. Please keep it with you at all times. Please ensure that you fill out the important parts and keep it with you in case of a disaster.
*CLAIR distributes the Emergency Pocket Guide during orientation for new arrivals.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/emergency-support/
JET Programme participants finishing their appointments and returning to their home countries may be eligible to receive a pension refund (lump-sum withdrawal payment). For more information, please refer to pages 169-175 of the 2021 edition of the General Information Handbook (GIH). jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
Information is also available in English and Japanese on the following website: https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/english/index.html (English) https://www.nenkin.go.jp/index.html (Japanese)
