To become a full member of JAS, you must pass the National License Examination for Speech-Language-Hearing Therapists, which is given once a year, usually in February. After passing the examination and being licensed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, you are considered a Speech-Language-Hearing Therapist (SLHT) and become eligible for full membership in JAS. Affiliate membership is offered to students or those without an SLHT license; affiliate members must apply for renewal once a year. There are entry fees and annual fees for either type of membership.
One of the biggest benefits of becoming a member of JAS is the opportunity to exchange information with colleagues about a broad range of communication disorders and other associated problems. Other benefits are as follows:
- Receipt of all of our publications, including newsletters and a journal (in Japanese)
- Eligibility to submit papers and present them at our annual scientific meetings
- Eligibility to submit papers to the Japanese Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
- The right to vote and run for offices (full members only)
- Discounts on fees for workshops and seminars
1. Distribution of JAS members in 2003
- Number of members nationwide: 4,341 (population of Japan: 127,470,000)
- Average number of members per million population: 34.1
- Five prefectures with most members:
| Prefecture | No. of Members | Population | Members/Mil. Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 478 | 12,220,000 | 39.1 |
| Osaka | 265 | 8,820,000 | 30.0 |
| Kanagawa | 258 | 8,630,000 | 29.9 |
| Aichi | 236 | 7,120,000 | 33.1 |
| Hokkaido | 232 | 5,670,000 | 40.9 |
- Five prefectures with fewest members:
| Prefecture | No. of Members | Population | Members/Mil. Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nagasaki | 26 | 1,510,000 | 17.2 |
| Shiga | 26 | 1,360,000 | 19.1 |
| Tokushima | 27 | 820,000 | 32.9 |
| Ohita | 28 | 1,220,000 | 23.0 |
| Miyazaki | 29 | 1,170,000 | 24.8 |
- Prefecture with highest ratio:
| Prefecture | No. of Members | Population | Members/Mil. Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fukui | 67 | 830,000 | 80.7 |
- Prefecture with lowest ratio:
| Prefecture | No. of Members | Population | Members/Mil. Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nagasaki | 26 | 1,510,000 | 17.2 |
2. No. of members by gender and age
- Male: 793 （18%） Female: 3,548 （82%）
| Age 60 or over: | 55 （1%） |
|---|---|
| Age 50-59: | 461 （11%） |
| Age 40-49: | 880 （20%） |
| Age 30-39: | 1,306 （30%） |
| Age 20-29: | 1,636 （38%） |
| Age unknown: | 3 |
3. No. of members by employment status
| Employed ? full time: | 3,408 （79%） |
|---|---|
| Employed ? part time: | 475 （11%） |
| Employed ? FT/PT unknown: | 85 （2%） |
| Employment status unknown: | 373 （9%） |
4. No. of members by employment setting (N=3,968 employed members)
| Healthcare (hospitals & clinics): | 2,779 （70%） |
|---|---|
| Welfare: | 470 （12%） |
| Colleges and universities for SLHT training: | 156 （4%） |
| Special nursing homes/health facilities for elderly: | 189 （5%） |
| Special education: | 119 （3%） |
| Research institutions: | 111 （3%） |
| Other: | 79 （2%） |
| Unknown: | 79 （2%） |
5. No. of members by areas of service provision (multiple answers)
| Adult language and cognition: | 2,860 （66%） |
|---|---|
| Speech and voice: | 2,622 （60%） |
| Feeding and swallowing: | 2,661 （61%） |
| Children’s language and cognition: | 1,648 （38%） |
| Hearing: | 833 （19%） |
| Unknown: | 485 （11%） |
