Q. I don’t live in Japan but for business purposes I need an Japanese address. Can I get a post office box?

A. Yes. You can rent post office box at most central post offices and have the mail forwarded to you.

However it’s not a true ‘accommodation’ address. The mail is just held at the post office for you so you need to tell whoever is writing to you the name of the post office and the box number. Access times may also be restricted.

A better solution that provides a true Japan address at a reasonable cost is the Pakmail company which has various size mail boxes for rent at all of it’s locations You get a regular Japanese address (the address of the Pakmail office) 24 hour access and can have the mailed sorted, forwarded or remailed very easily. Prices are quite low.

Japan Pakmail Website

Q. I need a Japanese bank account so my company can transfer my salary.

A. Anybody can open a Japanese Bank account. There a several different kinds of accounts (mostly concerned with savings) so be sure you get a normal account a so called Futsu Koza.

Simply fill in the application form, it may be bilingual but if not get one of the lobby helpers to guide you. You will need two forms of ID. Your passport is best and one other. Deposit some starter cash and you will receive a bank book with your account number in it. It’s that number your employer will need along with the name of the branch when they transfer your salary.

Thinking ahead, if you are living for some time in Japan get yourself a simple personal stamp with your name on it, so called Hanko. It’s not necessary but it saves a lot of time when doing business in Japan.

After opening the account the Bank will post on to you your ATM cash card.

Remember it’s not a credit card. Applying for and getting a credit card from Japanese Bank requires more qualifications and more paperwork.

Q. Can I drive in Japan with my own countries license?

A. No. If you are stopped by the police for even the smallest thing they will always ask to see your driving license (please don’t pretend you can’t speak Japanese, that will only get you either detained or arrested until an interpreter can be found and also these days a lot of police can speak basic ‘traffic English’)

If you can’t produce a Japanese license the police will hold you and probably prosecute you. Not having a driving license can be a serious matter if you have been involved in an accident, even if it wasn’t your fault!

You can drive in Japan on an international driver’s license (for up to one year only) but it is better to get a Japanese license. This can be done quite easily by taking your current license and your passport to the local motor vehicle office. If you have a clean license and your visa is not a tourist type visa then you should be able to simply convert to a Japanese license

Important - If you have lived in Japan for more than one year then have no choice you must convert your current driver’s license into a Japanese license.

In Japan, cars drive on the left side of the road and have their steering wheels on the right side. The legal minimum age for driving is 18 years.

Q. Do I have to join the National health system in Japan?

A. No. The Kokumin Hoken system is not compulsory, although many people will tell you it is. You can ‘opt out’ by going to your local ward office or town hall and signing a form to that effect. It may require quite a bit of explanation but you can ‘opt out’ if that is what you want to do. Caution, you may have to pay a back fee for the time you have already been in Japan and were, probably without you knowing, automatically enrolled in the system. After ‘opting out’ you are solely responsible for paying for all and any medical expenses in Japan. Even a simple visit to the dentist can be very expensive. So think carefully.

Getting medical treatment (including dental) in Japan is made much simpler by being a member of the Kokumin Hoken system and the charges are not so high so for most non-Japanese keeping up their membership even if they have private insurance is a good decision. One extra benefit, the Kokumin Hoken membership card is considered a very acceptable means of identification if you don’t have a Japanese driving license and you don’t feel comfortable producing your alien registration card.

Read all about the Kokumin Hoken and all other taxes paid in Japan here.

Taxes in Japan

Q. Is it possible to leave Japan with only a visa application stamp on my US passport? I’ve decided to quit my job and go back home permanently but I’m a bit worried after reading about all these immigration horror stories.

A. Technically your visa is ‘extended’ during your application waiting time therefore leaving Japan will not be a problem especially as the new nationwide immigration ‘real-time’ computer system is now on-line.

Immigration officials at any port of entry/departure can call up any visa/personal details almost instantaneously.

If you have a valid waiting stamp in your passport they will no doubt tell you that it will become invalid the instant you leave but other than that you should be ok.

Just make it clear you understand that you will lose any visa status when you leave. If at some time in the future you intend to return you will have to apply for a new visa just like everybody else.

Q. I really think I need some legal advice but I don’t want to go to see an expensive lawyer straight away. Is there an alternative?

A. Yes. Most town or ward office offer something called a ‘horitsu sodan’ - legal consultation on a weekly or bi weekly basis.

You should have a competent Japanese speaker with you and be able to explain your problem in clear simple terms. You will need to call ahead and make an appointment. Don’t expect much more than general guidance and possibly a reference to a lawyer specializing in the field that you are inquiring about. If possible bring a written explanation of what you are talking about

Here’s a good link for Tokyo that has more information such as places and times. If you are from another part of Japan they will tell you where to call.

Tokyo Metropolitan Foreign Residents’ Advisory Center

Q. How do I get divorced if my wife is in Japan and I am in the United States?

A. If you got married outside Japan and then registered it in Japan you will need to have shown the Shiyakusho the original marriage certificate. In the same way if you are getting a divorce outside Japan and want to get it registered in Japan you will need to provide proof of the divorce.

Mutual consent divorce in Japan - Kyougi Rikon 協議離婚 is very easy and fast.

If your wife is agreeable to Kyougi Rikon then the absolute fastest way is to get on a plane, meet her at the Shiyakusho where her family register is kept. Show your passport; fill in two forms, pay a small fee, wait 10-15 minutes and the marriage is over.

If not, she can do it without you being there but you will have to get the forms sent to you, fill them in and get them notarized, sent back together with two valid forms of ID. Still fast and easy.

If she is not agreeable then you will have to come to Japan and start divorce proceedings here. You can’t do this from outside Japan. It can be slow, tedious and expensive. If children are involved you will not get custody.

Q. Help. I’ve been arrested. I need a lawyer.

A. Well first thing find out if you have actually been arrested (Taiho)

The Japanese police have a wide latitude in detaining and holding suspects without actually arresting them. You might simply be ‘helping’ the police with their enquires or you are being held while you make a statement about your side of the story.

If this is the case then a lawyer will not be able to help you in any practical way. Save that step for later.

Even if your Japanese language skills are excellent it is far better at this stage for you to ask for an interpreter before answering any questions or especially making a statement. You have that right and the police have a list of court registered interpreters in most common languages.

An interpreter will be able to accurately explain to you the police’s questions and then correctly interpreter your answers. An interpreter will also assist you in checking the details of your statement before you sign it.

Remember that statement is the core document that the police and prosecutors will use to make any decisions regarding further action so it had better be a clear reflection of your story. Once you’ve signed it, don’t ever change the story that it tells.

Many non Japanese have found themselves in hot water because they weren’t able to clearly explain what happened and ended up signing a document saying something completely at odds with what they meant to say.

One of the most frustrating tasks of living in Japan is finding and keeping a place to live. Japanese land agents are reluctant to find apartments or houses for non Japanese. You may be the most upstanding, law abiding citizen that ever walked this fair earth but unfortunately others before you have muddied the water.

Non Japanese going home abruptly and leaving unpaid utility bills. Keeping apartments in damaged and dirty condition. Sub letting to total strangers. Hosting loud and long parties disturbing the all important ‘wa’ are all sins attributed to those damn long noses. Japanese do it too but in their case land agents have some recourse to the renter’s family members or employers. Not so with non Japanese who can up and leave for foreign fields seemingly at a moments notice.

Let’s say you do manage to find yourself an apartment and all of a sudden the landlord starts acting up. Maybe he wants to increase the rent unfairly, maybe he won’t fix the leaking toilet, maybe he wants his favorite brother in law to have your little piece of turf. He can make life difficult for you in many ways. What to do?

In all cities or towns you will find your local town hall or ward office. If you’ve lived in Japan for any length of time you’ve been there to get registered. Just about all Shiyakusho or Kuyakusho have a department setup specifically to arbitrate between renter and rentee. Go there and tell them your tale of woe. They will contact the land agent or land lord and find out what’s going on and try to help. You can even withhold paying your rent to the land lord and pay the Shiyakusho instead during the ‘negotiations’

Try it the next time you feel like taking an axe to your noisy neighbor.

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If you have married a Japanese national then you are entitled to receive ‘spouse visa to stay in Japan. Japanese immigration authorities require a copy of your spouse’s family register (Koseki touhon) with your name written in as spouse as proof of your marriage.

Such a visa gives you just about all the rights of a Japanese national except voting in elections (and that also may become possible in the future)

Generally you will first receive a one year visa which can eventually become a three year visa (you may receive a couple of one year extensions first before they will issue a three year one)

As long as you stay legitimately married to your Japanese spouse (and can provide proof that you are indeed maintaining the marriage) your stay in Japan can be infinite. The only other step after such a visa would be a ‘permanent residency’ visa which never expires even after divorce or death of your spouse.

If you do divorce from your Japanese spouse your spouse visa does not immediately become invalid. It will simply expire at the end of its term and you will have to change to another type of visa or leave the country.

(As always remember. YMMV - Your mileage may vary)