CLAIR News March 2022
Quasi-emergency measures are currently being implemented as outlined below:
① Fukushima, Niigata, Nagano, Mie, Wakayama, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kochi, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Miyazaki & Kagoshima Prefectures (13)
② Hokkaido, Aomori, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Ishikawa, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Kagawa, Kumamoto Prefectures & the Tokyo Metropolitan Area (18)
Quasi-emergency measures in those prefectures included in ① are scheduled to end on March 6th.
Quasi-emergency measures in those areas included in ② are scheduled to be extended until March 21st.
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)
Password: Date of birth (YYYYMMDD)
*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.
Emergency Pocket Guide for JETs
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/
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.
The 2022 edition of the General Information Handbook is now available at the link below.
https://www.jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
For those JET Programme participants wishing to become a Japanese Instructor in the future, and fulfil one or both of the following conditions, you may apply for the National JET Japanese Pedagogical Training Seminar.
- Japanese Language Proficiency (JLPT) Test N3
- CEFR or JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education Level B1 or above
Duration of Seminar: 16 May 2022 (Monday) – 24 May 2022 (Tuesday)
Seminar Venue: The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute
5-6-36 Kita-Urawa, Urawa-ku Saitama-shi Saitama 330-0074 Japan
Application Deadline: 18 March (Friday)
Participant Number: 30
Please access the link below for details: (Japanese only)
https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/urawa/trnng_t/2022/other_jet.html
Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute Teacher Training Team
TEL: 048-834-1182 / Email: urawakenshu@jpf.go.jp
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/
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/
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.
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)
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 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 participants enroll in property insurance.
