Naha City now requires JETs/AETs to provide urine sample (drug test) for contract renewal. Not required from Japanese employees, apparently.
Posted by debito on March 30th, 2012
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Hi Blog. Here’s another example of how NJ are not being trusted. Employees under the auspices of the JET Programme in Naha, AET, are being required to provide a urine sample in order to get a job. This apparently doesn’t apply to Japanese workers, naturally, as Japanese obviously couldn’t possibly use drugs. But foreigners, well, you know the story — they’re powerless guests here on the GOJ’s good graces, so their dignity and equal treatment in the workplace can be overlooked in the name of crime prevention. We’ve seen this attitude from the police in Tokyo Azabu, who conducted similar “I-Pee” urine tests on NJ exiting bars in Roppongi without a warrant in 2009 just for tits and giggles, and because, after all, they’re the Japanese police so sod you. Now we see police powers expanding beyond the NPA (as they did when unlawfully deputizing hotels to smoke out illegal aliens back in 2005) and into private-sector/public-sector eikaiwa. Expect more of the same for whatever reason dreamable up.
I wonder what JET’s administrative arm, CLAIR, has to say about this. I wonder if they even know. Feel free to tell them and see if we can get a comment.
Commenter from submitter XY follows. Arudou Debito
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March 23 and 25, 2012
Dear Debito,
Naha city now requires all AETs to take a urine test. Only the AETs, not the Japanese teachers. I thought I would bring this to your attention, as you are the right one to handle this type of situation. Can you give advice on how to deal with it. As AETs are blocked from forming any type of organization or union to fight against this type of BS. here is the link:
http://www.edu.city.naha.okinawa.jp/gakkyou/H24AETnaitei.pdf
Notice on the second set of requirements where it tells the prospective applicant to turn in health related materials, it includes urine analysis. This is for drug testing, and only applies to AETs.
Go ahead and put it up. I do wish to remain anonymous as I know this can affect future employment possibilities. Let me give you the full story. A friend of mine recently finished his contract with his current BOE. He had applied to the Naha BOE and another local BOE. When his interview came up he was notified about all the things he had to turn in for possible employment. One of the things he was notified that he had to turn in was a urine analysis. He double checked this, as he has been here some 20+ years, and never heard of a teacher having to turn in this before. This is due to the spat of drug cases that has occurred here on island. Here is the other URL he gave me:
http://www.edu.city.naha.okinawa.jp/
Anyway this really irked me when I heard about this and I decided to tell you about it because this is the bs that a lot of private AETs have to put up with.
ENDS
March 30th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
I don’t think this is an accurate analysis at all. It says “heath report”, one you get from a doctor’s office. A doctor will do blood tests, urinalysis, etc. and put it in the report. Urinalysis is a common procedure.
March 30th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
The link provided is no longer active. Urinalysis is a routine test done in health screenings here (Japan) and in at least two other countries where I’ve had it done (New Zealand and USA) as part of routine health checks. It is either a poor translation (urine screening would be more accurate if they are screening for drug use), or a misunderstanding. To see which it might be, I called the BoE there and talked to the person in charge, in Japanese. The forms requested by the Board of Education are for a normal health check, called “kenko shindan” in Japanese. There is NO drug screening; they are concerned about health, particularly the x-ray for TB. They are also somewhat displeased that someone has posted this with erroneous information.
If a private company is requiring a different form, that is another matter, but the information as presented on this form, according to the BoE staff, is for a normal health screening.
Cheers.
March 30th, 2012 at 5:05 pm
How does the original poster knows that the urine analysis is to check for drugs? Does s/he assumes it? Or is the ‘This is due to the spat of drug cases that has occurred here on island’ based on fact.
As I understand the note, a health report has to be handed in. I presume that the AET will have to go to a hospital to get a complete health report. They do not have to hand in urine samples at their employer, right?
The Japanese teachers, as employees in a Japanese company/government, have to undergo mandatory health checks every year, paid by the employer. This is an essential part of Japanese labor law, and it is controversial among some foreign employees because of possible breach of privacy in health matters. Well, I will go to my health check next week, which will include testing of ear+eye function, blood pressure, taking chest X-ray, measuring height, weight, and taking blood and urine samples. Especially the chest x-ray is important to detect tuberculosis.
The urine will be checked for pH, density, sugar, protein (and other markers for diseases) content.
I have never seen a urine test result that contained a positive/negative column for drugs.
I would want to see how the health report document looks like. Is it to detect drugs, or is it a part of the normal, and very useful health check? I for my part, want any AET who comes close to my kids, to be free of any communicable disease. (and of course, drug-free, too. But I seriously doubt that drug testing is the reason for the health check.