CLAIR News October 2021
The declaration of a state of emergency ended on 30 September. However for the prefectures where the state of emergency was lifted, the relaxation of measures will be carried out in stages with the aim of preventing the resurgence of infection, and necessary measures will continue until the state of infections drops below Stage II. Please continue to take basic preventative 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).
For further information, please refer to the national and local governments’ official websites.
Cabinet Secretariat website: https://corona.go.jp/emergency
The provision of vaccines and rate of vaccinations is steadily increasing. The opportunity to make a reservation for a vaccine will continue to be opened up in stages to those who have not been able to make a reservation to receive the vaccine yet.
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.
*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 increased 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. 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).
※ 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.
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 (from October 2021)
9 October (Sat), 20 October (Wed), 10 November (Wed), 20 November (Sat), 10 December (Fri), 20 December (Mon), 8 January (Sat), 20 January (Thurs), 10 February (Thurs), 19 February (Sat), 10 March (Thurs), 19 March (Sat)
Web Mail Counselling
Login Password: (Please refer to the email 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 email 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.
All JET Programme participants are strongly advised to register with their home country’s embassy or local consulate, and/or through your embassy run travel registration scheme 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 check the website of your home country’s embassy or local consulate for more details:
http://www.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 enroled 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.
http://deli3.study.jp/?multi
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 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.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/jetvoices
A useful checklist for newly arrived JET Programme participants can be found on page 81-83 of the General Information Handbook (GIH). 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 latest version of the GIH in both Japanese and English can be found at the following link:
https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
In the months of July through to November there is an increased risk of disasters occurring caused by Typhoons and heavy rainfall. 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 page 169～175 of the 2021 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)
Reappointment procedures have begun. Please talk with friends and family and consult with your supervisor before making your decision. Changes cannot be made to reappointment decisions after the submission deadline.
All JET Programme participants should have received documentation regarding the reappointment procedures from their contracting organisations. Please read the documents carefully and consult with your supervisor if you have any questions. The reappointment documents can also be found on the JET Programme website. Please refer to the links below.
More information about reappointment can be found in the GIH (pg. 62-67). Please note that the content of the GIH may differ from the reappointment documents provided by your contracting organisation. In that case, please prioritise the content in the documents provided by your contracting organisation.
jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
jetprogramme.org/en/reappointment
Password: (Please refer to the email version of CLAIR News)
Shiga Prefecture is organizing a Joint Job Meeting for Overseas Students for international students and international job seekers who wish to work in companies that are based in Shiga. About 20 companies that are planning on recruiting international employees will participate in this event. Don’t miss out on a great opportunity!
《Event Outline》
●Date and Time: Friday, November 5, 2021 16：00～18：30
●Venue KUSATSU ESTOPIA HOTEL (4-32 Nishiohji-cho Kusatsu-shi Shiga) ※Held as a video conference using Zoom and in person simultaneously ※You can participate wherever you are!
●Admission: Free
●Language: Japanese
●Eligible Participants:
– International students expected to graduate from undergraduate or graduate programs in March 2022 or later.
– Current JET Programme participants/JET Alumni
※International job seekers are expected to be able to communicate in Japanese.
●Deadline: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 13:00
Please sign up here!!
https://shiga-gsc.com/jobfair/#company
