CLAIR News August 2021
1. Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, and Okinawa Prefectures are currently under a state of emergency due to the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), and Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka Prefectures will be under a state of emergency from 20 August 2021. The state of emergency will last until 12 September 2021. Residents in the affected areas are asked to refrain from non-urgent, non-essential outings (especially after 8 pm) and are strongly urged not to cross prefectural borders. In addition, residents are asked to avoid crowded spaces during the peak times of the day, and to refrain from visiting establishments such as restaurants who do not implement measures to prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
2. Hokkaido, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Ishikawa, Shizuoka, Aichi, Shiga, Kyoto, Hyogo, Fukuoka, and Kumamoto Prefectures are currently under quasi-emergency measures to prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Miyagi, Yamanashi, Toyama, Gifu, Mie, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kagawa, Ehime, and Kagoshima Prefectures will be under quasi-emergency measures to preent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) from 20 August 2021. The duration of these measures for Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka Prefectures will be until 19 August 2021. The duration of these measures for Hokkaido, Miyagi, Fukushima, Toyama, Ishikawa, Yamanashi, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima prefectures will be until 12 September 2021. In these prefectures, clusters of infections have occurred during activities such as karaoke in the afternoon. Therefore, in these affected areas, residents are urged not to visit establishments that offer karaoke whose primary business involves food and drink (such as snack bars or karaoke parlours). In addition, residents are asked to not gather in parks or public spaces to drink in groups, not visit restaurants and other eating establishments outside of their reduced hours of operation, and to refrain from non-essential and non-urgent outings and travel, especially between prefectures in which the State of Emergency Declaration is in effect.
3. 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).
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://japan.kantei.go.jp/ongoingtopics/vaccine.html
https://corona.go.jp/en/
CLAIR’s Department of Multiculturalism has compiled information about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) 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 (COVID-19).
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/82/
NHK Easy Japanese
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10012293221000/k10012293221000.html
The vaccination period in Japan began on 17 February 2021 and is projected to last until the end of February 2022. Vaccination is proceeding in order from medical personnel, to the elderly, to those with pre-existing conditions, to the general public.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, 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 more information, please visit the websites of the government and local municipalities in Japan.
The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000164708_00079.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 for 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)
*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 August 2021)
10 August (Tues), 20 August (Fri), 10 September (Fri), 18 September (Sat), 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 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 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.
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 sttart 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 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 Japan, 1 September is Disaster Prevention Day, and is a good opportunity to make yourself aware of and engage in disaster preparedness. CLAIR has compiled an Emergency Pocket Guide for reference in the event of a disaster. Please keep it with you at all times.
https://jetprogramme.org/en/emergency-support/
JET Programme participants finishing their appointments this summer 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)
