CLAIR News February 2021
It was announced by the Japanese government on 2 February that the state of emergency declaration related to the spread of the novel coronavirus will be extended until 7 March for Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Gifu, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka prefectures; however it will be lifted in Tochigi prefecture. In addition, the Japanese government also announced that if the situation in specific prefectures has clearly improved due to the effects of the measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, there is the possibility that the state of emergency will be lifted for those prefectures before 7 March.
In addition to refraining from non-essential, non-urgent outings, 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).
Even in those areas outside of the scope of the state of emergency declaration, local governmental authorities are asking for vigilance in combatting the spread of the novel coronavirus. For further information, please refer to the national and local governments’ official websites.
-Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet
https://japan.kantei.go.jp
https://corona.go.jp/en/
CLAIR’s Department of Multiculturalism has compiled information about the novel coronavirus in multiple languages. Please visit the following link for information:
https://www.clair.or.jp/tabunka/portal/info/contents/114517.php
NHK WORLD also provides information about the Novel Coronavirus.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/82/
NHK Easy Japanese
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10012293221000/k10012293221000.html
English-Speaking Countries, ALTs and CIRs from Minority Countries, and SEAs
In light of recent conditions including the spread of the novel coronavirus and the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a 1-year reappointment option has been added for 5th- and 6th-year JET Programme participants in addition to the previously announced short-term reappointment periods ending on 12 September and 30 September. This special 1-year reappointment is predicated solely on the consent of both the contracting organisation and the participant, under the conditions agreed upon by both parties.
Contracting organisations were notified of these special reappointment procedures in late January. Please consult directly with your CO supervisor if you have any questions regarding these procedures. If you have received documents regarding these procedures, please read them carefully and confirm the conditions set out by your contracting organisation before agreeing to reappointment.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/reappointment/
(Password: Please refer to the email version of CLAIR News)
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:
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)
Following a change in operation of the Safety Confirmation system, a User Guide and notification will be sent from Contracting Organisations. Even for those who believe that they are already registered with the Safety Confirmation system, when you receive these materials please take this opportunity to confirm your registration.
As a matter of convenience, all IDs and passwords have been returned to their default settings, so when confirming your contact details, please change your password. (Information about the methods of 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 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 9 April 2021 (Fri).
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 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 toll-free telephone counselling service. This service is available once per month and does not require any advance reservation. Furthermore, as a special service, counselling will be made available every Wednesday between 13 January and 3 March 2021. 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 (from January)
13 January, 20 January, 27 January, 3 February, 10 February, 17 February, 24 February, 3 March, 17 March
Web Mail Counselling
Login Password: Please 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 refer to the e-mail version of CLAIR News.
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.
The deadline for grant application of the second test date (conducted on 6 December, 2020 (Sun) is 26 February, 2021 (Fri). The Grant Application Form can be downloaded from the URL below.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/jlpt/
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.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/languagecourses/
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
Personal tax affairs in one’s home country are the responsibility of each JET participant. Be sure to receive and keep your gensen chōshūhyō, or Statement of Earnings. Please refer to page 63 of the 2020 edition of the General Information Handbook (GIH) for more details.
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 2020 edition of the General Information Handbook (GIH).
https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
CLAIR will be hosting the 2021 After JET Conference and JET Programme Online Career Fairs for JET participants completing their appointment on the Programme in 2021. Applications have now closed for these events. Applicants should have been sent an e-mail confirming their participation on Friday, 22 January.
If you haven’t received an e-mail confirming your application, please contact CLAIR at afterjet@clair.or.jp.
JET participants finishing their appointments in 2021 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 you for your next career move.
JET participants finishing their appointments in April may be eligible to receive a pension refund (lump-sum withdrawal payment). For more information, please refer to page 169 of the 2020 edition of the General Information Handbook (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)
CLAIR offers supplementary texts to assist JET Programme Participants with their Japanese studies. To view digital versions of the ‘Japanese for JETs’ and ‘Japanese for CIRs’ texts please access the following webpage:
https://jetprogramme.org/en/japanese-for-jets/
Password: Please refer to the e-mail version of CLAIR News.
