CLAIR News February 2026
- Safety Confirmation System & Contact Information Survey Registration
- Contact Information Survey Registration
- Mental Health Support Resources(Subsidy Application Deadline: Wednesday, 1 April 2026)
- JET Programme General Information Handbook (GIH)
Pinned Notices
Safety Confirmation System & Contact Information Survey Registration
In the event of a disaster, CLAIR uses its Safety Confirmation System (Emergency Call) to verify the safety of JET Programme participants in the affected area. Responding to safety notifications is quick, so please do so immediately upon receipt. We also kindly ask that you report any updates to your contact details as soon as possible.
Safety Confirmation Registration
https://asp2.emc-call.jp/clair/index_en.html or https://asp2.emc-call2nd.jp/clair/index_en.html
Login: The final nine digits of your JET number, without the first two digits (20).
Password: Same as above
(If your contracting organisation has changed, please register your new address right away.)
Every year, emergency warnings are issued across Japan. Additionally, Japan is vulnerable to major earthquakes and other natural disasters. When these events happen, embassies and consulates may contact CLAIR to verify the safety of JET Programme participants. In these cases, CLAIR provides data from its Safety Confirmation System. For this reason, we ask that you not only respond swiftly during emergencies, but that JET Programme participants and supervisors cooperate to ensure proper registration and understanding of response procedures.
Additional Notes:
- Safety confirmation requests are sent out based on the registered host prefecture or designated city. You may receive a confirmation check even if you are not physically near the affected area. Please still respond in these cases.
- We cannot conduct safety checks by phone.
- Prefectural advisors and supervisors who wish to conduct a Safety Confirmation System drill/simulation may contact CLAIR to request one.
Emergency Pocket Guide for JET Programme Participants
To ensure your safety in Japan, please take the time to prepare in the event of a disaster.
CLAIR has put together an Emergency Pocket Guide for use during a disaster. Please fill in the key sections and keep the guide with you at all times, as a disaster can happen at any moment.
Note: CLAIR also hands out the Emergency Pocket Guide to new participants during orientation.
URL: https://jetprogramme.org/en/emergency-support/
Contact Information Survey Registration
CLAIR requires registration of an email address to make use of online training services offered to JET Programme participants. You can also update your contact information through the same link.
Contact Information Survey (Used for non-emergency outreach): https://goo.gl/u1gVT2
Login ID: JET number (11 digits beginning with 20)
Password: Date of birth (YYYYMMDD)
Note: For JET Programme participants who were originally scheduled to arrive in Japan in 2020 or 2021, please use your pre-arrival JET number that starts with 2020 or 2021.
Mental Health Support Resources
Subsidy Application Deadline: Wednesday, 1 April 2026
CLAIR offers the JET Programme Mental Health Counselling Assistance Programme with the aim of enhancing mental health support for JET Programme participants. 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 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026. Application documents for the subsidy should be submitted through contracting organisations and arrive at CLAIR no later than Wednesday, 1 April 2026.
Please bear in mind that any applications CLAIR receives after the 1 April 2026 deadline will not be eligible for the subsidy.
JET Programme participants can also benefit from free counselling offered by CLAIR via email and Video Call. (via Microsoft Teams)
If you wish to use these services, please access them using the URL below, input the ID/password, and follow the instructions for registration. To help the counselling service to communicate with you more effectively, please register with your personal email address instead of a work or organizational one. If you haven’t done so yet, we kindly ask you to update your information. Up to seven video-call sessions are available between 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026. We recommend starting with email, which has no limits on usage.
Web mail and video call counselling
Website: https://jetcounseling.com/
Username: jet
(Please check the email edition of CLAIR News for the latest password.)
JET Programme General Information Handbook (GIH)
Every year, CLAIR updates the General Information Handbook (GIH) for JET Programme participants. Please be sure to refer to it whenever you have questions regarding living in Japan or JET Programme policies.
You can consult/download the latest version of the GIH at the link below.
Time-Sensitive Notices
Grant for TEFL/TESOL Certification
Application Deadline: 16 February 2026 at 17:00 (JST)
Information regarding the 2025–26 TEFL/TESOL Certification Grant has been published on the JET Programme website and sent out to contracting organisations. Details are available on the page below.
URL: https://jetprogramme.org/en/tefl/
Enquiries are to be addressed to CLAIR’s grant-specific email address: grant@clair.or.jp
Japanese Language Courses (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced)
Deadline for March Intake: 20 February 2026
Deadline for Mid-March Intake: 5 March 2026
Important Update about the Japanese Language Courses
As of 1 April 2025, CLAIR’s Japanese language course has been renewed. Even if you were registered to the old course, you need to sign up for the new course through the following application form:
URL: https://forms.office.com/r/HeW382TWwN
Applications received before the 20th of any month will allow you to start the course starting from the 1st of the following month. In addition, applications received between the 21st of any month and the 5th of the following month will allow you to start the course starting from the 15th of the following month. Your login credentials will be sent via email. Please make sure to allow emails from addresses ending in ‘@attainj.co.jp’.
Note: You do not need to re-register each month.
New Course Tutorial and Course Guide
Following a change in the provider of the course, a video tutorial is available to show new students around the platform. You can find the video tutorial and course guide at the following link. We hope this new course helps you in your endeavours to learn Japanese.
URL： https://jetprogramme.org/ja/languagecourses/
Regarding Unit Deadlines
Each unit should be completed within one month to ensure the course is finished in a reasonable timeframe. However, you are responsible for attending the course at a reasonable pace.
Note: Questions about course content (grammar, vocabulary, etc.) may be submitted through the course provider website. A Japanese instructor will answer them. Please note that responses may take a few days.
Call for Presenters at the April CIR Post-Arrival Orientation
Application Deadline: Friday, 20 February 2026
CLAIR kindly invites current CIRs to present about their CIR work at the upcoming April Post-Arrival Orientation!
Details
Eligibility: Current CIRs
Dates: Monday, 13 April or Tuesday, 14 April
Venue: Hotel Le Port Kōjimachi (2-4-3 Hirakawachō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Themes (Please choose one; you may apply for multiple themes):
- Lectures/School visits
- Social media initiatives
- Event Planning
- Multiculturalism initiatives (多文化共生)
- Free Theme
Additional Notes
- Each presentation lasts for 45 minutes including a Q&A session and is conducted entirely in Japanese.
- The date and time of the presentation is determined based on the chosen theme and will be communicated to selected applicants at a later date.
- CLAIR will send information to contracting organisations; please ask your supervisor for more details about the application process.
Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Grant Applications Now Open
CLAIR offers the 2025–26 grant for JLPT to JET Programme participants who have passed the N1, N2, or N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) in either the first or second test of 2025. The grant will reimburse the complete testing fee of 7,500 yen. Results for the second test were sent out in late January 2026.
Important: Website results are not accepted. Make sure to apply when you have received your paper results via mail.
To apply, please complete the electronic application form via the following link before the grant application deadline. You will find all the necessary information about the eligibility and application process at the following link:
URL: https://jetprogramme.org/ja/jlpt
Important: make sure to carefully read the explanation documents before applying. Incomplete/invalid applications will have to be resubmitted. The final deadline for resubmission is 16 March 2026.
Additionally, for information regarding the first test of 2026, please see the following link (non-CLAIR affiliated): https://info.jees-jlpt.jp/
2026 National AJET Professional Learning Seminar
AJET would like to invite you to attend their first online Professional Learning Seminar for 2026, aimed at supporting current and new ALTs with a variety of skills to assist in teaching.
Title: Use of Self-Reflection in Elementary School to Promote Critical Thinking and Improve Phonological Understanding
Date and Time: Thursday, 19 February 2026 18:00 – 18:30 JST
Location: Online (Google Meet)
Language: English
Registration: https://forms.gle/y4F1a9VrtqhYE9Vs6
By the end of the session, participants should feel confident in implementing self-reflection (振り替え, furikae) sheets into their elementary school lessons in collaboration with classroom teachers.
At the conclusion of the seminar, attendees will receive the slides from the presentation, the feedback sheets, and a survey to complete.
JTE or Japanese homeroom teachers willing to attend should email the AJET team.
If you have any additional questions or queries, please address them to the email below.
AJET Contact: prof.edu@ajet.net
Seasonal/Recurring Notices
Information for JET Programme Participants Ending their Term of Appointment
JET Programme participants finishing their appointments in 2026 should refer to CLAIR’s online After JET Guide for information about how to prepare for their successor, move out of their apartment, deal with reverse culture shock, or prepare for their next career move.
If you are finishing your term of appointment on the JET Programme this year and returning to your home country, please make sure you discuss travel arrangements with your contracting organisation as early as possible.
URL: https://jetprogramme.org/en/ajg/
Lump-Sum Pension Withdrawal Payment
JET Programme participants finishing their term of appointment and returning to their home countries may be eligible to receive a pension refund (lump-sum withdrawal payment).
For more information, please refer to pp. 190–199 of the General Information Handbook (GIH).
GIH: https://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/
Information is also available in English and Japanese on the following website:
URL: https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/english/index.html
Embassy Information for JET Programme Participants
CLAIR maintains a webpage on the JET Programme website for diplomatic missions in Japan to post information to the attention of JET Programme participants from their country. Please check this page regularly for updates.
URL：https://jetprogramme.org/en/embassyinformation/
Please note that CLAIR does not bear responsibility for information provided through this page. For enquiries regarding specific information, please contact the embassy in question directly.
Registering with your Embassy
All JET Programme participants are strongly advised to register with their home country’s embassy or local consulate and/or through their embassy-run travel registration system while living in Japan. 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.
URL：https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/link/emblist/index.html
Home Country Taxes
Personal tax affairs in one’s home country are the responsibility of each JET Programme participant. Be sure to obtain and keep your gensen chōshūhyō, or Statement of Earnings, from your contracting organisation, as this may be necessary for filing your taxes abroad. Please refer to the General Information Handbook (GIH) for more details.
URL：https://jetprogramme.org/ja/gih/
Enrolment in Property Insurance
Is your house or apartment covered by property insurance (kasai hoken)? If you do not know, we recommend you check with your contracting organisation supervisor.
There have been several cases where JET Programme participants were forced to pay for 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 your choice. However, costs can be very high if you are found liable for any damages. Therefore, CLAIR recommends that participants enrol in property insurance.
Although the majority of JET Programme participants live in rental properties, earthquake insurance may also be taken to account for the cost of lost household items, such as personal computers or TVs. Therefore, please take care to research a suitable form of insurance for your situation.
Call for Writers for ‘JET Kara no Tegami’
CLAIR is searching for writers for the ‘JET kara no tegami’ (‘Letters from JETs’) column in its monthly serialised magazine, CLAIR Forum. In this column, participants share information about themselves and their activities during their appointment on the JET Programme. As CLAIR Forum is a Japanese publication distributed to local authorities and other relevant organisations, successful applicants will be asked to write their article in Japanese (approximately 1600 Japanese characters, or about 800 English words).
If you are interested in writing for CLAIR Forum, please apply via the following URL:
URL：https://forms.office.com/r/Xzc2DJcSNB
If you are selected to write for CLAIR Forum, you will receive five copies of the magazine containing your article upon publication. CLAIR staff will correct your submissions, so please feel free to get in touch no matter your level of Japanese!
Please note that we may not be able to request articles from all applicants, as writers are selected to ensure a balance between article content, placement area, nationality, and other factors. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
URL: https://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/pdf_422/12_jetletter.pdf
URL: https://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/pdf_423/14_jetletter.pdf
Back issues of CLAIR Forum are available at the link below:
URL: https://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/index.html
JET Programme Official Social Media
CLAIR regularly shares information of interest to both current and former JET Programme participants on the following social media platforms. Be sure to follow us to stay informed about upcoming opportunities and updates!
LinkedIn: https://jp.linkedin.com/company/japan-exchange-and-teaching-program-me-jet
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jet_programme/
X：https://x.com/JET_Programme