photo by PRESSBOOKS
Japan’s re-open of its border for some new entries in November 2021 showed a sign to revive international travels. However, the COVID-19 has started spread again in the other areas of the world, therefore issues such as unemployment or difficulty in finding a job of foreign residents are still around. In such a situation, many supports are launched in Osaka, the second largest city of Japan.
Osaka Information Service for Foreign Residents by Osaka Foundation of International Exchange
Osaka Foundation of International Exchange provides consultation services about everyday life such as labor/job, medical/welfare systems and education. Their service is multi-lingual, including English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Philippine, Thai, Indonesian, Nepalian and Japanese. Also, there is special consultation session on specific day with lawyer, judicial scrivener and immigration officer, all free of charge. This is a useful service when you want to have professional advice on legal matters, or when you have a difficulty in your life.
Osaka Information Service for Foreign Residents
Address: 5F, 2-5 2-5 Hommachibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
TEL: 06-6966-2400
Osaka Medical Net
One of the most common causes of concerns for foreigners living in Japan would be what to do when they get sick or injured. In addition, particularly under the current COVID-19 disaster, it is very important that you know a proper process you should follow in such a situation. Osaka Medical Net provide various information in eight languages including English, Chinese Tagalog, in order for foreign residents to access medical services in the same manner as Japanese citizens. For example, searching tools for hospitals and dental clinics that provide multi-lingual services, medical interview sheet templates in several languages, contact a list of public health center offices in each area. They will give you instructions about proper action when you are suspect the coronavirus infection or wish to have COVID-19 vaccination.
Osaka International House Foundation
Osaka International House Foundation, which was opened as a placed or international exchange for residents in Osaka city, have been providing consultation services about visa, legal matters, labor, medical and welfare system, and other issues since before the COVID-19. They have four days of legal consultation and two days of visa consultation every month on a fixed date (booking required). Also, considering the current COVID-19 situation, they provide consultation service about the coronavirus infection. Each session is 40-minute long, free of charge.
Osaka International House Foundation
Address: 8-2-6 Uehommachi, Tennoji-ku Osaka
TEL：06-6773-6533
The Consortium of Universities in Osaka: Study in Osaka
The Consortium of Universities in Osaka: Study in Osaka is an organization that consists of educational institutions and companies within Osaka prefecture to support international students. They provide various information such as preparation guidance for future students, career information for current students, searching tool of schools and unis, information about reduction of tuition fees, etc. Also, in order to help international students who are struggling to find jobs under the COVID-19 crisis, they regularly hold career seminars, and talk sessions to meet former international students who are working in Japan, and other events. Information about these events is updated on their website. Japan re-opened the acceptance of new entries of international students from November 2021. If you are planning to come to Japan, or already studying in Japan, check their website and fully utilize their information.
The Consortium of Universities in Osaka: Study in Osaka
Helps you under the COVID-19 crisis
It’s been 2 years since the COVID-19 outbroke at the end of 2019. Since the Japanese government announced the acceptance of part of new entries in November 2019, the flow of international travels gradually started reviving. People who had already obtained Japanese visa but had to postpone their arrival because of the border restrictions are finally allowed to enter Japan. Consequently, the population of foreign residents in Osaka is expected to increase from now on. But note that COVID-19 is still around in Japan too, therefore you may need supports in terms of medical and welfare services. In such a case, support systems introduced in this column may be a great help for you.
