WELCOME TO THE YAMAGUCHI AJET/PA SERVICE LEAVERS' GUIDE
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CORRESPONDENCE WITH YOUR SUCCESSOR
Surely you remember the last few weeks before you left your own home country to start your own Japanese adventure a year ago, two years ago, three years ago. You no doubt had a million questions and worries, wonders and ponderings. There were probably so many things that you wished you could have asked about: where you would be living, what your daily life would be like and what you might need to pack to get you there and started up.
Make contact with your successor as soon as you get their contact details. When giving information, try to be perceptive enough to answer the questions that they cannot possibly imagine yet, from the perspective of someone who may never have even been abroad before. On the other hand, be cautious of flooding them with less relevant information, which will only increase their stress levels in the frantic build up to departure.
Be sure to provide information about the following:
Try to avoid
You are unlikely to receive your successor's contact details and information until the end of May, but in the meantime you can start preparing!
TICKET OR CASH?
Contracting Organisations (your Board of Education, or Kencho) differ in their policies towards providing the return airfare for their returning JET participants. In order to be eligible to have your ticket (or no-questions-asked cash) provided, you must fulfill three conditions:
- Complete your JET contract period (up until the very last day)
- Be not entering a subsequent contract with your Contracting Organsiation, or a third party in Japan, within one month of the completion of your current contract.
- Return to your home country within one month of the completion of your contract.
IF YOU WISH TO TRAVEL IN JAPAN AFTER LEAVING JET, BEAR IN MIND THAT YOU MUST LEAVE THE COUNTRY WITHIN A MONTH (OR AT LEAST GIVE THIS IMPRESSION), OTHERWISE YOU WILL FOREFEIT YOUR RETURN AIRFARE PROVISION. (See also: VISAS)
Remember to ask your supervisor well in advance about how your Contracting Organsiation will provide for your return airfare. If they decide to offer you cash, you will likely be responsible for purchasing your own ticket, and making your own travel arrangements. You may have to pay the initial deposit (and possibly the balance) from your own funds, to be reimbursed at a later date. The sooner you find out, the better chance your have of securing the flight you want at a good price. (See also: FLIGHTS)
Around June, your supervisor will provide you with a "JET Return Travel Itinerary" form, which you must complete and submit to your Contracting Organisation. For further information, please refer to the General Handbook.
| air ticket | 航空券 | koukuuken |
| cash | 現金 | genkin |
| reservations | 予約 | yoyaku |
Return Travel |
JET 参加者帰国予定書 | JET sankasha kikokuyoteisho |
CHANGING YOUR VISA TYPE
If you plan to stay in Japan after your current work visa expires (check your passport), whether for just one day or for a few weeks, you must change your status of residency to "TEMPORARY VISITOR", the same visa given to tourists visitingJapan.
You must change your visa type before your current visa expires (usually on the last day of your contract). If your JET visa expires on the same day as your contract, you will need to visit the Immigration Office before your visa expires, and request a "TEMPORARY VISITOR" visa to begin from the day after your contract ends.
The Immigration Office ask that you schedule time to make two visits to the office, as the visa cannot always be issued on the same day. Your first visit will be to apply for the visa, the second to get the approval stamped in your passport. You are recommended to make the first visit anytime from a month to a few days before your current visa expires.
There are four Immigration Offices in Yamaguchi Prefecture (Open 09:00 - 12:00, 13:00 - 16:00):
For help in English or Spanish, there is also the Hiroshima Immigration Information Centre, 2-11 Hiroshima Godo-chosha, 6-30 Kami Hachobori, Naka-ku, 730-0012. Tel. 082-502-6060.
When you go to the Immigration Office, you will need to bring yourpassport, Alien Registration card, inkan and 4000yen in cash.
After you have obtained the new visa, you should get your status of residence changed on your Alien Registration, by taking your card, passport (with new visa) and inkan seal to your local city hall or yakuba.
You should not have to take nenkyu for your trips to the Immigration Office, and may use "special leave". If you wish to do this, then please make arrangements with your supervisor / teachers ahead of time to avoid difficulty.
| visa | ビザ | biza |
| expire | 切れる | kireru |
| Temporary Visitor visa | 短期滞在 ビザ | tanki taizai biza |
| Immigration Office | 入国管理局 | nyuukoku kanri kyoku |
| special leave | 特別休暇 | tokubetsu kyuuka |
OBTAINING YOUR PENSION REFUND
For one, two, three or even more years now you will have been begrudgingly contributing to the Japanese Pension System. Every month a deduction is made from your salary for the National Pension Insurance, a kind of social security system. As a person not possessingJapanese citizenship, you are eligible for a one-off lump sum withdrawalof a percentage of the total amount you have contributed throughout your time with JET.
You must leave Japan after completing your contract to be eligiblefor the refund. Don't forget to hand in your Alien Registration card at the Airport - you cannot keep this as a souvenir.
The following figures only apply to JETs whose contracts expire in July/August 2004:
| Arrived: | Months on JET: | Refund Vale: | After Tax(@20%): |
| July 2001 | 36 | 846,000yen | 676,800yen |
| July 2002 | 24 | 534,000yen | 427,200yen |
| July 2003 | 12 | 240,000yen | 192,000yen |
In April 2003, the Health Insurance and Pension Refund scheme was amended. Since then JETs have been paying slightly lower contributions. The result of this is that the total amount that can be obtained via the refund has been reduced. Put simply, all contributions you made up to April 2003 will be calculated at the old (higher) rate, and those made since April 2003 at the lower rate. Thoseof us whose time on JET spanned this amendment will notice that our refunds are significantlylower (or higher, depending on which set of rates you look at) than expected.
The following figures apply to ALL JETs who arrived in Japan after April 2003:
| Months on JET: | Refund Rate: (% of monthly remuneration) |
Refund Vale: | After Tax(@20%): |
| 6 - 11 months | 40% | 120,000yen | 96,000yen |
| 12 - 17 months | 80% | 240,000yen | 192,000yen |
| 18 - 23 months | 120% | 360,000yen | 288,000yen |
| 24 -29 months | 160% | 480,000yen | 384,000yen |
| 30 - 35 months | 200% | 600,000yen | 480,000yen |
| 36 months+ | 240% | 720,000yen | 576,000yen |
PENSION REFUND APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
1. Before leaving Japan, pick up an application form called a "Request of Arbitration for Lump-sum WithdrawalBenefit", from any Social Insurance Office. Alternatively, your local city/ town/ village hall may also have the form available in their Pensions Section.
2. The form is very simple, and instructions are available in English, Spanish as well as other languages. You will need to give simple personal information (date of birth, etc), in addition to designating a bank account for the refund to be paid into. The account must be in your name (be your account) and be held in your home country. The bank should then stamp your form to prove that the account number and other details are correct. If this is not possible then a simple bank statement should suffice for this purpose. You will also need to write your pension system number at the bottom of the form. If you have a blue pension book, use the "Basic Pension Number" box. If you have an orange book, fill in the "Employee's Pension Insurance Registration Number" box. Don't worry too much, just make sure that the number itself is correct.
3. Before leaving Japan, designate somebody to be your tax representative. Do this by obtaining and filling out a "Declaration Naming a Person to Administer the Taxpayer's Tax Affairs" form, also available from the Social Insurance Office. You can ask your supervisor or contracting organisation to be your representative.
4. Get hold of your Pension Book, if you don't already have it. (Your office may have been looking after it for you.)
5. As soon as you arrive in your home country, send the completed "Request of Arbitration for Lump-Sum WithdrawalBenefit" back to the following address:
Social Insurance Agency
Takaido Nishi 3-5-25, Suginami-ku
Tokyo 168-8505
JAPAN
Be sure to include with your application form:
Don't forget to make a copy of your application before you send it.
6. Two to six months later, your refund we be credited to your account. Around the same time, you will receive a 'receipt of payment' in the post. Send this to your designated tax representative in Japan, who will file it at the tax office on your behalf. They will receive the tax rebate, and then send it on to you (provided you give them your account details).
NOTES
| pension refund | biza | |
| Social Insurance Office | 切れる | kireru |
| "Request of Arbitration for Lm-SumWithdrawalBenefit" form | 短期滞在 ビザ | tanki taizai biza |
| Lump-Sum Withdrawalpayment | 入国管理局 | nyuukoku kanri kyoku |
| "Declaration Naming a Person to Administer the Taxpayer's Tax Affairs" form | 特別休暇 | tokubetsu kyuuka |
| Tax Representative | 納税管理人 | nouzei kanrinin |
HEALTH INSURANCE
Your public health insurance policy, which pays 70% of your medical fees, expires on the last day of your contract. Coverage under the JET Programme Accident Insurance Policy ends on the day you return to your home country, or August 31st, whichever is sooner.
If you stay in Japan after finishing your contract, you will have to rely on the Accident Insurance Policy for medical emergencies. To make a claim, contact the "Sompo Japan English Hotline" on 0120-08-1572 in Japan, or you can call collect on 0081-3-3593-1572 if abroad. For further policy information, call CLAIR.
From the day you arrive in your home country you will have to make your own arrangementsfor health insurance as you will no longer be covered by either Japanese policy. If you plan to travel after your contract ends (in Japan or elsewhere) you are strongly advised to purchase separate healthcare/ theft and loss insurance.
Note:
If you give birth to a child (anywhere in the world) within 6 months of leaving JET, and you were enrolled in the health insurance system for at least a year, you maybe entitled to claim a 300,000yen one-off payment. You do not need to be in Japan to claim this.
DISPOSING OF YOUR CAR
If you are unable to find somebody to privately sell or pass your car onto, or it is deemed to have no value by a car dealership, you will have to dispose of it yourself. You will be liable for vehicle tax until your car is properly disposed of (the necessary paperwork is completed and the car is physically disposed of).
Warning: Don't try to 'dispose' of your car by ditching it at the airport, leaving it at the side of the road, rolling it off a cliff, etc. Even without licence plates it can still be identifiedas yours. Your home details are still registered in Japan and you will receive a bill for the disposal eventually.
If you bought your car from a dealer, this is the best place to take it to for disposal. If you didn't , there are many disposal companies and dealerships which will dispose of it for you (for a fee). Necessary documents include:
SELLING YOUR CAR PRIVATELY
The mere act of selling your car to another person (another JET for example) is not enough to absolve you of responsibilityfor it. It will not be off your hands until the new owner registers the transfer of ownership. There are several documents necessary for the transfer registration:
| Document | Japanese | Romaji: |
| ApplicationForm (OCR#2 sheet) | OCR シート | OCR Shiito |
| Receipt for Payment of Registration Fee | 手数料納付書 | Tesuuryou noufusho |
| Proof of Transfer of Car Ownership | 譲渡証明書 | joutoshoumeisho |
| Certificate of Proof of Inkan Registration | 印鑑証明書 | inkanshoumeisho |
| Certificate of Proof of Address | 使用者の住所を証する書面 | shoyoushanojusho wo shousuru shomen |
| Certificate of Proof of Parking Space | 自動車保管場所証明書 | jidousha hokan basho shoumeisho |
| Receipt of Automobile Tax Paid | 自動車税納付証明書 | jidoushazei noufu shoumeisho shaken sho |
| Certificate of Vehicle Inspection | 車検書 | shakensho |
The buyer may also need certain documents from you too. You will almost certainly have to Inkan some documents, so leave plenty of time to do this before you return home.
OBTAINING A VEHICLE TAX REFUND
If you dispose of your car before leaving Japan, you will be entitled to claim back most of the tax you paid in April/May. Once the disposal is complete, take the Certificate of Disposal to the place where you paid the original tax to claim a refund. Again, do not wait until the last minute to complete this as the process may take time.
USING UP NENKYU (ANNUAL PAID LEAVE)
You may find yourself with a lot of paid leave (nenkyu) remaining at the end of your contract. Provided your contracting organisation agrees, you may be able to return home early by using up your remaining nenkyu. Returning home early using this method is not non-fulfillment of contract, and would not affect the contracting organisation's obligation to provide the JET's return airfare. Prefectural ALTs may not leave Japan until after the leavers' ceremony, usually around the first week in July. If your Contracting Organisation agrees to let you leave early, you will have to make arrangements with them to have your last pay packet sent home. As with all applications for paid leave, your Contracting Organisation is well within its rights to refuse if the timing is inconvenient. Ask well ahead of time, and be prepared to negotiate.
OBTAINING REFERENCES
Within a few months you will find yourself at home and, more than likely, looking for a new job. You will need at least one reference letter explaining what you did and how you did it here in Japan. It would be wisest to ask your supervisor or one of your English teachers (that you work with regularly) to write a letter for you. Hiring procedures and customs are different in Japan from many of our home countries. You will have to explain the purpose of a reference letter, and how they are normally written. Althoughit may seem rather unusual and a little awkward, you may want to assist them in drafting your letter. It is not very Japanese to blow your own trumpet or brag on about your own merits and accomplishments, so your supervisor may find it difficult to write the kind of letter you may be expecting. The following are things you may wish to consider when drafting your letter:
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In addition to reference letters, you will need to update your CV (resume). How can you even attempt to sum up your whole JET experience in just a few lines? Besides all the wonderful things that you would like to be included in your reference letter, don't forget that you have probably developed some important and impressive skills while you've been here: Adaptability, Flexibility, Working as a Team, Durability, Patience, Cultural Awareness, Diplomacy and tact, Persistence, Independence, language (Japanese) proficiency. The fact that you have thrived, or simply survived, overseas says a lot about you, so be sure to mention it in your CV (resume.)
PRE-DEPARTURE CHECKLIST
THINGS TO LEAVE FOR YOUR SUCESSOR
FORWARDING MAIL
There are two ways to deal with all the mail that will inevitably surface once you're gone. You can pick up a "Change of Address Notice" postcard at the post office, which is usually found on the desk with the banking forms. Fill out the form and return it to the post office. You will need you're Inkan.
Option 1: Persuade a friend who is staying in Japan (or a Japanese person(!)) to receive your mail for you. All of your domestic and international mail can be forwardedto his or her address for one year. Your friend can send the important mail to you. A new form will have to be filled out each year to continue having the mail forwarded.
Option 2: You can have your mail forwarded overseas to your post-JET residence. However, only international mail will be forwarded. Domestic mail (mail originating in Japan) will be returned to the sender. Packages forwarded to your overseas address will have pay-on-delivery charges applied.
Remember to leave your post-JET address with your office.
| local Japanese tax | 地方税 | chihouzei |
| Bank Account | 銀行口座 | ginko kouza |
| "Please close my bank account" | 私の銀行口座を閉じてください。 | watashi no ginko kouzai wo tojite kudasai. |
| Change of Address Notice | 転居届け書 | tenkyo todokesho |
| Forwarding | 転送 | tensou |
| Post Office | 郵便局 | yuubinkyoku |