If you wish to work and reside in Japan, you will need an appropriate visa (see overleaf). Those with temporary visitor, transit or general visas are not permitted to work (p.61). For a list of immigration offices and to download application forms, see The Ministry of Justice website (www.immi-moj.go.jp). The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau Office (5-5-30 Konan, Minato-ku) also has an information centre, open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00, as does the Shinjuku Foreign Resident Information Center (03 3209 6177).

To make life easy, you can contact an English-speaking visa consultant (see table below) who can assist with immigration and visa issues, establishing permanent residency, starting a business, as well as other legal and administrative processes.







Ishizaka Immigration Lawyer’s Office Shinjuku-ku www.ishizakaoffice.com 03 5269 3977

Niitsu Legal Visa Office Hirō www.niitsu-law.jp 03 3443 5112

Kazumi Nakayama Administrative

Scrivener Office Takadanobaba n_kazumi77@yahoo.co.jp 03 5330 0651

Ando Administrative Office Kasai www12.ocn.ne.jp/~office41 03 5658 2276

Azuma Legal and Business

Support Center Tsukiji www.azuma-law.com 03 6226 5105

Those in Japan for the long haul may choose to pursue permanent residency or even citizenship. The most common way to become a permanent resident is to apply after five years of marriage to a Japanese citizen. Alternatively, you can apply after a period of five to 10 years of residence and stable employment. The main benefits of permanent residency include not having to renew your visa every one to three years and being able to borrow money more readily.

Citizenship is another story. It is considerably more difficult to become a citizen (see also Blogging It left). There is no dual nationality system, and family checks, translation of documents, and the examination of your home, your suitability to become a Japanese citizen and other intrusive checks, as well as the lengthy decision-making process by the Japanese authorities, are not for the fainthearted.

If you’re working in Japan, you can sponsor your spouse and children for a visa. You or your employer will need to apply for Certificates of Eligibility for the family. For this you will need the application form (downloadable from The Ministry of Justice website at www.immi-moj.go.jp), marriage certificate, birth certificates (for each child), a letter of employment from your company and a 4cm x 3cm photo of each applicant. If you are in Japan, and wish to bring family into the country, you must also submit tax certificates from your city or ward office.

If you have a baby in Japan, you must apply for dependent status within 30 days, for which you will need a birth certificate (see Maternity on p.122 for more information).

There is no age limit for dependents, though the older they are, the more likely it is that you will need to certify that the child is still your dependent. Dependents are able to work part-time (up to 28 hours per week), but must first seek special permission at the immigration office. To sponsor retired parents and same-sex partners, you need to apply for a special visa, as the law currently does not classify them as dependents.

Marriage to a Japanese citizen makes you eligible for a spousal visa. If already in Japan, you will need to apply for a Change of Status at immigration. Fill out the application form and take your original passport and copies, alien card, two different photos of you and your spouse together, an eight-section questionnaire, your spouse’s Family Register (koseki tôhon) and certificate of residence (jyûminhyô) to the immigration office. You will need to prove financial stability (this can be done by submitting tax returns – both jyûminzei kazei shômei and jyûminzei nôzei shômei) and a letter of employment from an employer (either yours or your spouse’s). You can also send a proxy (often a Japanese in-law) to immigration to apply on your behalf.

To apply for a Certificate of Eligibility as an investor or manager (self-sponsor), you will need to first register your company and employ more than two people (who must be either Japanese, the spouse of a Japanese or a permanent resident). If the company is young and no profit and loss report is available, a detailed business plan with projections for the next year may be substituted.

To apply for a student visa, you may need to include a copy of the acceptance letter from the university you intend on studying at, as well as proof that you can pay for tuition, along with your application. Proof of an adequate level of Japanese language may also be required. Some universities may apply for a visa on your behalf. Student visa holders are not usually permitted to work.