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This is a bit of a tricky subject for many JETs. If you have already studied Japanese before coming to Japan then you are ahead of the game. But, for the vast majority who will be coming with practically no knowledge of Japanese, there is no need to panic as you can definitely survive in Japan for lengthy periods without the least bit of knowledge of the Japanese language. Foreigners are not expected to be able to speak Japanese and if you do utter even one word you'll be met with gasps and compliments about your amazing Japanese ability. Also, if you decide to try out your Japanese and you make a mistake, don't worry. The effort is appreciated and even the most embarrassing of mistakes is easily forgiven.
There is plenty of excellent to marginal English language support for your survival needs and most people will be keen to try out their English skills on you (but note: If you want to get a clear picture of how much English your co-workers really understand, try and get them good and liquered up at an office party. You will suddenly find yourself debating Marxist economic theory with the office lady who, on the first day you met her, waved her hand in front of her face and exclaimed, "No Engurish! No Engurish!"). If you want a head start, take a look in our Language section to find some informal sites concerning the language. We recommend trying to learn the phonetical Katakana characters early as many of the borrowed words written in Katakana come from English. This is especially helpful when visiting western style restaurants because it enables you to be able to read virtually all of the menu!
That being said, learning Japanese can be frustrating. Although pronunciation, grammar, and even idioms in daily conversation aren't that difficult, reading Japanese is pretty tough. The Hiragana and Katakana phonetical systems can both be mastered in a relatively short time. However, there are also around 2000 basic Kanji characters (from tens of thousands) of varying meaning and sound to learn. Although this sounds overwhelming, it is not an impossible task as you pick up many Kanji as you go about your daily life. However, if you do decide that learning Kanji is too much for you, you can get by fine without it. If you don't have the time to study before coming here then learning the language once you are in Japan is also fine. There are plenty of free classes around the ken and tons (tonnes) of language resources.
Remember that JET is not just about teaching English, it is also a cultural exchange program, which means that, although CLAIR doesn't necessarily want you to completely blend in with your Japanese surroundings (notice the contractual clauses that only allow you to stay in Japan for three years), they do want for you to take home as much Japanese culture as you can — notice the contractual clauses that make you to return to your home country as soon as your contract expires. This does provide an encouraging setting for you to learn Japanese as CLAIR provide various good, free correspondence courses whilst your local International Association will usually provide free conversation classes.