Here’s a new Japanese service to “explain” Japanese social security that’s coming soon:
Also refer to my old threads:
Foreigners: leave Japan and get a $5,000 bonus
Pension & Health Insurance payments

English Web site eyed to explain social security to foreigners
The Daily Yomiuri—August 1, 2005
English Web site eyed to explain social security to foreigners
The Social Insurance Agency will open an English-language Web site in September to provide information on the social security system to long-staying foreigners in Japan.
All foreigners living in Japan are obliged to pay social security premiums, such as for health care and pension programs…
The agency wants to make the new site easy to understand for non-Japanese residents who are not familiar with the complicated social insurance system.

My favorite gaijin gadfly, Dave Aldwinckle aka Arudou Debito, has this great WHAT TO DO IF site covering many of the pains of living in Japan. Enjoy.

WHAT TO DO IF…
(Click on a link to go directly to that heading)

…you are asked for your “Gaijin Card”.
…you are stopped by the Japanese police.
…you are arrested by the Japanese police.

…you overstay your visa.
…you see a “Japanese Only” sign.
…you are refused service at a business catering to the general public.
…you are turned away at a hotel.

…you want to protest something you see as discriminatory.
…you want to take somebody to court.
…you want to get a job (or a better job) in Japanese academia.
…you are having a labor dispute in the workplace.

…you are swindled in a business deal.
…you need a lawyer.
…you want to get Permanent Residency (eijuuken).
…you want to become a Japanese citizen.

…you want to run for office.
…you want to build a house.
…you want to get a divorce.
…you want to do some awareness raising.

And more. Updated and added to frequently. Don’t see exactly what you’re looking for? Start at the very top of the “What to do if” site and see what headings are on offer.

Collect the $5,000 please-leave-Japan-you-evil-gaijin bonus!

About the J-Pension Refund… There is a Y590,000 limit on the refund so if you have paid lot of money into the Japanese Pension system having the 11 years you paid into the J-Pension transferred into your UK-Pension program is a better deal (if the UK and Japan have that pension swap). On the other hand, for folks who mostly worked “off the books” doing freelance work, hostessing and the like during their stay, the J-Pension Refund will be a good deal just as it is for 3-or-fewer-years gaijin. (The very name of the pension-refund scheme in Japanese refers to payments for “short-term” foreigners–the 90 percent who leave within three years.)

The Irish Net Nippon presents Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The JAPANESE PENSION REFUND SYSTEM Adapted from an article originally published in the Japan Times.
[[ a bit old, but still valid]]
>Q. What if I have more questions? A. In Japanese, call the government offices mentioned earlier where the pension payment application will be distibuted and ask to speak to someone who can tell you about pensions (nenkin). Specifically, ask about lump-sum withdrawal payments for foreigners (tanki zairyu gaikokujin ni taisuru dattai ichijikin.) Also be aware of this possible refund… I don’t know if I would trust these folks with my money, but they do seem to have a “method” to get both the: “1. The pension refund itself (below) 2. The additional 20% tax refund.”

Also refer to my old threads:
Pension & Health Insurance payments

If you’re American in Japan who has not filed an IRS tax return in years, all is not lost. The IRS will work something out. Most of my friends in the situation have sweated this problem out and ended up wihout much of any penalities. Read on…

FAQ of the IRS
….the statute of limitations for IRS to assess and collect any outstanding balances does not start until a return has been filed. In other words, there is no statute of limitations for assessing and collecting the tax if no return has been filed. ….

…The IRS continues to improve its database of income transactions and increase its ability to identify people who have a filing requirement but have failed to file a return. Eventually, contact will be made and the correct tax liability computed. By this time, howevr, the original tax bill will be multiplied many times by the addition of interest and penalties….
….There are numerous practical reasons to file tax returns. Whether buying a home or financing a business, copies of filed returns must be submitted to the lending institution. Important programs like federal aid to higher education also require applicants to submit copies of tax returns to qualify for loans. And the filing of tax returns has a tremendous impact on the future. Social Security retirement and disability benefits as well as Medicare are all computed based on a person’s lifetime earnings reported to the IRS and the Social Security Administration. State benefits such as unemployment compensation and industrial insurance are also based on reported income… For people with multiple unfiled returns, IRS practice is generally to limit investigations and examinations to the last six years.
…more…

Previously in “Getting a job in Japan, the hard way”, I failed to cover the the best way to come to Japan: O.P.M. ,other people’s money or as it universally called here:
THE PACKAGE.
The best way to come to Japan is to be Joining a foreign software company and being sent to Japan on the all expense paid “The Package” for expats is the best. Why live in Japan as an “in-country hire” low-life like me when you can live the fatcat expat life?

The terms for an expat Package traditionally include fully paid Western-style housing and all private school fees, business-class travel home annually, a car, cost-of-living benefits of an additional 20 to 40 percent over local pay levels. For example, an expat friend of mine working for a global electronics company (GE) at middle/lower senior management receives a $3,000 USD housing allowance per month, of airfares to home country, three weeks holiday on top of the numerous Japanese holidays, full medical/dental/legal, and private school fees for their children.

“Ideally” if you want to come to Japan, you should try to be hired at a non-Japanese company with a large Japanese division and then get transferred here to live as royalty. The greater the Japanese presence the non-Japanese company has, the more chances you have to transfer here on the all-important Package. Occasionally, a smaller company will have a gaijin director position available but you would have to have inside connections to know that and generally the smaller the company the higher the level of Japanese is required.

I am saying you need to work for non-Japanese companies because Japanese companies don’t like to transfer folks from the Real World to Japan except for specific projects of less than six months. The game industry has the greatest amount of cross-border transfers most other industries use in-country hiring of very F’ed gaijin and “astronauts” who commute to Japan for a couple weeks or months at a time. Also Japanese company do not want to hire a foreigner sight unseen…and it’s a pain in the ass to come to Japan without work (and often a visa) just to interview for a job. Besides, Japanese companies don’t provide the Package, bah.

The real “Answer” to getting a job in Japan is: “Don’t.”

Ok, I’ve warned you. Now please go ahead and buy any of the books about getting a job in Japan and read it cover to cover. The old Bible of thousands of FG wannabes for the past 20 years, “JOBS in JAPAN” and most others likeHow to Land Jobs in Japan advice to come here cold and semi-illegal to find a job.

Then visit the web forums like GaijinPot for a reality check.

Pleeeease do your homework. Don’t email me and ask for the magic answer to getting a job in Japan. After 20 years, I haven’t the foggest idea what the special trick is. Don’t take this personally; I simply do not know. I fell into my job by mistake.

So what is it like to find a job in Japan? Here’s a few of my random thoughts….

Most J-companies do NOT wanna hire a Pig-in-Poke. It’s tough to be hired overseas in your home country to work in Japan. The Bad-Case scenerio is it’s gonna take you 6-to-3 months to find job and more than $5-10K to get your own apartment, phone, fridge, etc. The Good-Case scenerio is it’s gonna take you 4 weeks and $1,900. The Best-Case scenerio does not exist.
Please note many major Japanese companies will not sponsor visas (your soon-to-be-bucho/manager is forced to privately sponsor you).
Come to think of it, most of the long-term gaijin came here under some sponsorship such as a job transfer, Japanese education, martial arts, JET program, etc.

Me? I got headhunted here but I was told to “wait” for 3-4 months. I scrapped by as a semi-illegal worker in a bunch shitty jobs to survive. Then had to do the Korean visa run on at my own expense to get my work visa. It was DAMN TOUGH. I ran out of money ($3,500 spent in 9 weeks). Without leeching off my Judo teacher and a friendly mama-san who frequently gave me “taxi money” I would never have “made it”.

BOTTOM LINE: Go for it! What do got to lose but your sanity?

TODAY”S QUESTION:

I will be receiving cash gifts in Japan during an upcoming trip (wedding party!) I’m certain that the envelopes will all contain YEN, but I will be immediately returning to the U.S. afterward. How can I avoid fees on exchanging large amounts? Can I open a bank account in Japan that is accessible at a U.S. ATM machine?

As previously covered on the 3Yen, it’s not hard to open a Japanese bank account. The obvious place to go for access to ATMs internationally is CitiBank Japan. However, this isn’t gonna be a big savings for you…..

As far as “avoiding fees on foreign exchange” — there’s just about no-way Jose. (See a exception below.)
However, fees do differ. The Japanese Post office does cheaper wire transfers. Mitsubishi-Tokyo Bank offers good rates to walk up customers.
Lloyds “Jet Set Japan” has:
“The service allows you to use your local ATM and any of the 28,000 across Japan to transfer money home. There is a flat fee for the service, of 2,000yen per remittance. It costs nothing to register for the service.”

Normally I just use the Japan Post Office’s international money orders (”giro”) for amounts under $3,000.This requires paying 780 yen and filling out this longish form sometimes several so I fill them out in advance. They will give up a paper money order or wire your money directly into a foreign bank account ( you need to know the routing number, account number, addresses, branch names, etc.)
Of course if you’ve got 20 million yen or more to spare….

Standard Chartered makes Tokyo retail banking debut
Japan Times, July 7—
Britain-based Standard Chartered Bank on Tuesday opened its first
branch for retail customers in Japan, aiming to gain a foothold in an
increasingly focused market. The branch, located in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district, targets
customers with assets worth some 20 million yen or more by providing Japan’s first no-commission foreign-currency accounts ..more….

The best advice is leave your pets at home. Japan is bad place to be a pet. Hell, it’s tough to be a human. If must and you are on “The Package” (all expenses paid move by a company) here are the rules.

Importing Pets into Japan (Update)
Via the American Embassy Tokyo, Community Update - July 2005
This is the latest update regarding Japanese Government regulations pertaining to importation of pets into Japan.
The Japanese Animal Quarantine Service (AQS) is the official source of information regarding the import and export of pets in Japan. Their very helpful English website may be found at the URL here
It is imperative that persons who wish to import their pet to Japan consult the AQS website and make the proper coordination directly with the AQS in order to avoid any misunderstandings. The personnel in AQS have proved to be very helpful and they encourage direct communication through email or fax. For Narita airport arrivals, AQS can be reached at:
Terminal 1: FAX 81-476-30-3011; EMAIL na-k1@maff-aqs.go.jp
Terminal 2: FAX 81-476-34-2338; EMAIL na-k2@maff-aqs.go.jp
Check with your airline for the terminal at which you will arrive. Other phone numbers and AQS offices around Japan are listed on their website. Note that due to strict quarantine laws of Japan, AQS is unable to grant exceptions and that animals which have not met all requirements as described on their website are subject to being held for extended periods of quarantine, or possibly deported back to the origin of the flight.
The following is a summary of the rules for importing pets into Japan:
The full procedure with time-lines is outlined at the AQS website.
The animal must have microchip identification. This must be done before the rabies vaccinations. The only microchips that can be read at Japan AQS facilities are ISO 11784 and 11785 Standards. For any other chips, you must bring your own microchip reader.
After receipt of the microchip, the animal receives the first of two rabies vaccinations. These must be inactivated rabies vaccinations. Be sure to obtain certification of the period of validity for the particular vaccinations that you obtain (some are good for two years, others for only one). The pet must be at least 90 days old at time of first vaccination.
- The animal receives a second vaccination at least 30 days after the first vaccination.
- Anytime after the second vaccination, the animal must receive a Fluorescent Antibody Viral Neutralization (FAVN) Blood Test to ensure that the rabies vaccinations have provided adequate rabies antibody levels, and must be approved by a facility approved by the Government of Japan. Approved sites are listed at the AQS website (currently there are only two in the U.S.).
- No later than 40 days before arrival in Japan, you must fax a formal notification to AQS on an Import Application Form. This notification form and all other recommended certificates and forms can be found here. AQS will send an acknowledgement upon receipt of the form.
- Obtain a health certificate for the animal verifying that it is free of rabies and, in the case of dogs, leptospirosis. The certificate must be approved by the national government in the country of export (USDA’s APHIS if coming from the U.S.).
- On arrival be prepared to present completed forms “A” and “C” from the AQS site, Acknowledgement of Advance Notification, and completed Import Quarantine Application.
- Animals that arrive with all documents in order, including readable microchip, are normally cleared at the airport in under two hours although AQS states “within 12 hours” on their website.
- Animals that arrive without the appropriate health certificate, without making advance notice to AQS, without a readable microchip ID, or without the proper blood test and 180 day waiting period, will be subject to additional quarantine periods, or possibly deportation upon arrival in Japan.
- Kennel rates while in quarantine in Japan are approximately $30-35 per day.
- For most travelers, the process will take at least seven (7) months from the date of the first rabies vaccination, so advance planning is critical.
For pets transiting Japan, even for overnight stays, Japanese importation laws do not apply. Each individual airline is responsible for transit pets through Japan. It is important for persons transiting Japan to make close coordination with the airline to ensure that all necessary requirements are met.

Yes, I have official Japanese government proof that I’m an ALIEN.
Above is a picture of my Japanese Alien Registration Card, hee, hee.
Every foreigner in Japan longer than 90 days has to go down to their ward office to get one. It’s a pain in the ass but the gaijin card has been a mostly harmless process until now.
The current alien registration card (Gaikokujin Toroku) contains the holder’s name, nationality, date of birth, place of birth, address, passport information, visa status, occupation and company or school. The new IC card will be tied into a new “intelligence center,” and will hold fingerprint data to compile database on foreigners.
Think “666, the mark of the Beast” and put on your tinfoil hat because it is unclear whether these will RF capable cards that can be read at long distence. I say tinfoil hat because if you were paranoid about broadcasting all your personal information, all you have to do is wrap this IC card in tinfoil to block any transmission of your data.

Japan Gov’t will require all foreigners to carry IC card IDs
….plan to require all foreigners staying in Japan for more than 90 days to carry identification cards equipped with integrated circuit chips, with all data to be kept at an “intelligence center,”
…the new system, intended to replace the current Certificate of Alien Registration that foreigners have to carry…
Under the plan, foreigners will have to carry with them at all times IC cards that contain information such as their name, nationality, address, birth date, passport number, visa status and place of employment or study. Holders will be required to report any change of address and obtain permission to change jobs.
…..Under the new policy, companies and schools where foreigners work or study will also be required to report to the authorities about when the foreigners move or change jobs, and will be subject to penalties for any falsified information….

More worrying to some gaijin in Japan, is that these new Alien Registration rules and IC cards will be require them to obtain permission to change jobs.
Sounds like slavery, doesn’t it?
Well it is.
Welcome to Japan Inc.
ALL Japanese have to follow a simliar rule because they have to obtain a “Permission to Leave the Company” certificate to quit a company. It sucks to have to grovel to ask for this even though your soon-to-be-ex-boss is more or less required to give it to you.
Actually, all foreigners must report to their ward office in 30 days any changes of address or job in the current Alien Registration system. The new IC card for Alien Registration system is simply codifying the present rules on a national database scale.

But wait there’s more fun.
There’s the new-n-improved ” Immigration BLACKLIST.”
In the past, the Immigration blacklist was just that a paper list on names and passport numbers of evil gaijin who had been caught at such evil deeds as failing to notifying their ward office of overstaying their visa one week or quiting and getting new job. Needless to say the paper blacklist was not effective. Now the national blacklist will have more effect. It’s actually been computerized for two years now and at every Japanese airport the authorities now know that I was arrested for running an illegal frog jumping contest in 1981.

The Yomiuri Shimbun, KRT Wire | 06/11/2005 | Japanese government plans to compile database on foreigners
TOKYO - The Justice Ministry…. can currently search online only text information, such as an individual’s name and nationality, and plans to upgrade the system to download images, such as people’s photos and fingerprints.
Records on individuals who in the past were deported after committing crimes also will be able to be accessed online under the new system, according to the sources, adding that those records are now available only by fax from the local immigration bureau that deported the individual….

UPDATE:
The reports are the Japan is still at “working team” on the IC card for Aliens. Therefore there gonna a lot more time and a bunch more changes before this Mark-of-the-Beast-666 IC card law goes into effect.

Kyodo via Yahoo: Japan eyes tightening control of foreign residents
The Japanese government decided Tuesday to set up a working team to consider ways of tightening its control of foreign residents as an anticrime step. The team will consider such measures as requiring long-stay foreigners in Japan to carry identification cards equipped with integrated circuit chips, government officials said. Envisaged to comprise senior officials from various ministries, the team is expected to come up with specific steps in about a year and present a bill to revise the foreign resident registration law, possibly in the regular Diet session in 2007, one official said.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party earlier proposed that the government require all foreigners staying in Japan for more than 90 days to carry ID cards with chips recording their identity data. The LDP and the government claim the new policy is aimed at keeping track of foreigners as part of its measures to prevent terrorism and crimes. The working team will also consider easing restrictions on foreign residents such as enabling them to stay longer in Japan, the officials said.

Also read News.3Yen.com’s report: Japan landing announcement: “Please take your free IC ID cards at the airport and always carry them.”