The Government of Japan has declared a state of emergency for Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The declaration will be in effect until March 7.
For details, check here.

Information about facilities and events cancellation (in Japanese): Check here

Please continue to stay at home unless you must go out for essential and/or urgent reasons, and try to stop the spread of the coronavirus through preventive measures such as working from home and refraining from traveling.
（Quoted from Ichimail)

Many IIA events have also been canceled or postponed. Please check with your contact information if you want to participate

When disaster strikes, we are concerned that the non-Japanese residents who evacuate at the shelters would experience anxieties and face difficulties in understanding instructions. For this reason, IIA and Ichikawa City have concluded an agreement long before to support non-Japanese residents in the event of a disaster. Our support is very much needed at the shelter. It is not mandatory to go to the shelter to give support when it occurs.
We are counting on your kind spirit to help us in this endeavor.
1. What is the role of a Supporter?
When a disaster occurs or is predicted, we will be requested by Ichikawa City Hall to assist non-Japanese residents who need interpretation support at evacuation shelters. However, the supporter should first make sure that his/her own family is safe from disaster before responding to the request. The supporter should not respond if the situation does not allow it.
2. The Supporters we are looking for:
✔ Those who are willing to support non-Japanese residents at evacuation shelters
✔ Those who can be contacted by LINE or E-mail
✔ Those who can participate in disaster prevention drills to be held in evacuation shelters
3. How to apply :
Please email the necessary details listed below to the secretariat of IIA (info@iia21.jp) on or before February 28th.
Application Details:
(1) Name (2) Foreign language Skills/ Easy Japanese ability (3) Evacuation shelter/s where you can be dispatched ( Elementary school name - with a distance of about 10 minutes from your home. Multiple schools are also welcome)
4. Schedule of Activities
In mid-March, we are planning to hold a briefing session and conduct a drill to check the effectiveness of the Contact System. (This schedule is subject to change in relation to COVID-19 situation). We will send the information to the applicants by email.
We sincerely look forward to your application.

Due to the corona infection, PR members can not gather and publish IIA news. Under such circumstance, the IIA has decided to send a newsletter by e-mail from July 2020. If you haven't received the letter yet, please register your email address.