Non-JET Support

Tokyo English Life Line (TELL)
Tokyo English Life Line (TELL) is a non-profit community service organization dedicated to helping foreigners with advice and counseling on the wide variety of problems them may run into living in Japan.

Life Line 03-5774-0992

Free, anonymous telephone counseling. 9am – 11pm daily

International Mental Health Professionals Japan (IMPHJ)
IMHPJ is a multidisciplinary professional association of therapists who provide mental health services to the international communities in Japan. Founded in 1997, IMHPJ’s goals are to improve the quality, quantity, and accessibility of mental health services available to the international communities in Japan.

Disaster Information Email Service
The Kumamoto International Foundation has a mail magazine called Anshin Anzen (Safe and Secure). If you sign up for this free service, you will get monthly updates on disaster prevention and living information relevant to Kumamoto. You will also receive information about evacuations if such notices are issued. To sign up for the KIF Disaster Information Email Service, please do the following:

  • Send an email to: [email protected]
  • Write the following in the subject line: 1
  • Leave the body of the email blank.

You will receive an email with a link to a registration page. It seems you can’t change the email address you want to register, so if you want the information sent to your keitai, you should send the blank email from your keitai.

Japan Legal Support Center (法テラス)
Provides FREE legal support (debt, divorce, labor, accidents, disasters, etc.) over the phone in English, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, or Tagalog. Available weekdays 9am – 5pm. For more information check out their website.

To use the service follow these directions:

  • Call an interpretation service at 03-5366-6008
  • Tell the interpreter the content of your inquiry
  • The interpreter will connect you to the nearest, most appropriate legal support center
  • Consult with a legal professional through the interpreter over the phone

Other Legal Support
The International Center (国際交流会館) located in Kumamoto City also offers free legal consultation every 3rd Saturday of each month from 2-4pm. Reservations are required. TEL: 096-359-2121

Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center
The Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center works with abused American women and children in foreign countries to provide domestic violence and child abuse advocacy resources and tools so that they can navigate the complicated jurisdictional legal and social international landscapes to be able to live their lives free of abuse either in the foreign country or back in the United States.

For help, victims can call the Crisis Line, which is available from 175 countries internationally toll free via the AT&T USADirect access number. First, dial the access code for Japan:
KDDI: 00-539-111
Softbank Telecom: 00-663-5111
NTT: 0034-811-001
Then dial the Crisis Line: 866-USWOMEN (866-879-6636)