VISA TO JAPAN! :::::Visa Application, Japanese Document Making Service in Okayama Japan::::::2008-11-14T17:57:47+09:00This site is provided by Matsuda Immigration Law Office in Okayama, Japan. Japanese visa news, the immgration policy announcement, article about other immigration issues are posted. JUGEMHow to get refund of public pensionhttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=8740702008-11-14T17:43:03+09:002008-11-14T08:57:47Z2008-11-14T08:43:03ZThis information is made by Social Insurance Agency. If you left Japan after paying Social Insurance, you have a possibility to get refund.
http://www.sia.go.jp/
It may not be the latest pdf files. Please use them at your own risk. Contact inform...Yoko MatsudaWORK & TAXhttp://www.sia.go.jp/
It may not be the latest pdf files. Please use them at your own risk. Contact information of SIA is below.
Social Insurance Operation Center
Takaido-nishi 3-5-24, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 168-8505
TEL.81-3-6700-1165(Please speak Japanese.)
〒168-8505東京都杉並区高井戸西3丁目5番24号
社会保険業務センター]]>Toll-Free Hot Line about Immigration Procedurehttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=8344412008-10-09T09:49:31+09:002008-10-09T00:49:31Z2008-10-09T00:49:31ZSetting Up of Toll-Free Nationwide Telephone Counseling Line for Foreign Nationals
September 2008
The Immigration Bureau of Japan
From September 29, Tokyo Immigration Information Center will operate a toll-free Nationwide Telephone Counselin...Yoko MatsudaNews
September 2008
The Immigration Bureau of Japan
From September 29, Tokyo Immigration Information Center will operate a toll-free Nationwide Telephone Counseling Line for Foreign Nationals.
If you have any questions about immigration control procedures, please call the toll-free line. Questions related to immigration and status of residence examination procedures for non-Japanese nationals, procedures related to illegal residents, etc. will be answered.
The phone service is available daily, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
1 Telephone hours
September 29 to December 28, 2008 (daily, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays)
9:00 am to 5:00 pm
2 Phone number
0120-567-115 (Toll-free)
3 Issues covered by the phone counseling
The telephone line provides counseling on issues including the following:
○ Immigration procedures
○ Status of residence examination procedures
○ Question about voluntary appearance at the Bureau, such as for the departure order system
○ Other questions about immigration control procedures
4 Notes
○ The phone number will be available to connect you to an experienced counselor from around Japan.
○ Counseling in languages other than Japanese is available (depending on the availability of counselors who can speak other languages)
○ The Bureau will keep the content of your counseling strictly confidential.
○ The Regional Immigration Bureaus’ Immigration Information Centers will continue to provide counseling (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays).
● For further information, visit the websites of the Ministry of Justice (http://www.moj.go.jp/) and the Immigration Bureau of Japan (http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/).
○ For inquiries about this telephone line:
Ms. Omi (Deputy Director) or Mr. Nakagawa (Public Relations Section Manager),
General Affairs Division, Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice
03-3580-4111 (ext. 2727 or 2737)
]]>Asian Migrant Year Bookhttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=6043102008-04-02T21:40:52+09:002008-04-02T12:40:52Z2008-04-02T12:40:52ZHong Kong based organization Asian Migrant Centre released Asian Migrant Year Book 2005. Though I don't know about the organization much (even I cannot find an address of its office.), the report about Japan is well done. I like the organized time-seri...Yoko MatsudaSTATISTICS & STUDYAsian Migrant Centre released Asian Migrant Year Book 2005. Though I don't know about the organization much (even I cannot find an address of its office.), the report about Japan is well done. I like the organized time-series data. You can probably get detailed information about each countrie's immigration issues.
]]>HOW TO PREPARE FOR NEW IMMIGRATION PROCEDUREShttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=5545682008-02-01T14:31:24+09:002008-01-31T08:19:31Z2008-02-01T05:31:24ZSolidarity Network with Migrants Japan released a report about how to prepare for new immigration procedures.
http://www.jca.apc.org/migrant-net/English/English.html
They made this report based on interviews with the immigration bureau and other...Yoko MatsudaIMMIGRATON POLICY http://www.jca.apc.org/migrant-net/English/English.html
They made this report based on interviews with the immigration bureau and other cases actually happened.
The content is below;
]]>Filipino Can Divorce non-Filipino outside Philippinehttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=5539402008-01-30T18:27:36+09:002008-01-30T23:33:21Z2008-01-30T09:27:36ZI often hear some people saying “Filipino in Japan cannot divorce because a family code of Philippine does not allow to divorce.”
After looking up law books, I found out that there was a way to divorce if the Filipino divorce non-Filipino outside of...Yoko MatsudaMARRIAGE&DIVORCE
After looking up law books, I found out that there was a way to divorce if the Filipino divorce non-Filipino outside of Philippine.
Here is the article of Family Code of Philippine which states international divorce outside Philippine;
Art. 26. All marriages solemnized outside the Philippines, in accordance with the laws in force in the country where they were solemnized, and valid there as such, shall also be valid in this country, except those prohibited under Articles 35 (1), (4), (5) and (6), 3637 and 38. (17a)
Where a marriage between a Filipino citizen and a foreigner is validly celebrated and a divorce is thereafter validly obtained abroad by the alien spouse capacitating him or her to remarry, the Filipino spouse shall have capacity to remarry under Philippine law. (As amended by Executive Order 227)
http://www.chanrobles.com/executiveorderno209.htm
******
It means that the divorce between Filipino and non-Filipino which was executed based on Japanese law is legally accepted by the Filipino government. You need to notify the consulate general of Philippine with notarized document (for example, a Koseki Tohon of your former spouse in which the fact of divorce is stated).
If your spouse is not Japanese, you should make sure if the divorce by Japanese way can be legally admitted in the other person’s country.
]]>Working Women in A Foreign Countryhttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=5485942008-01-23T23:25:58+09:002008-01-30T09:30:54Z2008-01-23T14:25:58Z
Recently foreign working women of the same age with me often come to my office. The same age means in their 30's. They are mostly Chinese ladies. I feel a kind of bond with them and I know that they also feel it.
When I lived in the U.S. five y...Yoko MatsudaDIARY
Recently foreign working women of the same age with me often come to my office. The same age means in their 30's. They are mostly Chinese ladies. I feel a kind of bond with them and I know that they also feel it.
When I lived in the U.S. five years ago, I saw many single Japanese women in their 30's or 40's. About 10-20 years ago, single women in their 30's felt difficulty to live in Japan because Japanese people had a fantasy about marriage. People believed that women who do not get married until 30 were losers of their life. Moreover, Japanese companies were, probably are still, not willing to hire women who are over 35. So women who were in their 30's, single, and have not a career enough to be independent were oppressed by their societies.
I think that some Chinese working women in Japan are "on-the-border ladies". If she is feminine enough, she is probably a wife already. If she is smart enough, she would have a good career in her country. I was also an on-the-border Japanese lady in the U.S.
I ended up returning to Japan and trying to build my own career. That is why I cannot help worry about the Chinese ladies. I want to say to them GANBARE!
]]>Happy New Year!http://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=5310442008-01-01T11:30:28+09:002008-01-01T02:30:28Z2008-01-01T02:30:28Z
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thank you for your support to Matsuda Immigration Law Office. I am so excited this year because;
The first Brazilian school in western Japan will be opened in June as a 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants lan...Yoko MatsudaMESSAGE
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thank you for your support to Matsuda Immigration Law Office. I am so excited this year because;
The first Brazilian school in western Japan will be opened in June as a 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants landed Brazil, and;
A delegation of San Jose, U.S.A. will visit Okayama as an 40 years anniversary of friendship between San Jose and Okayama.
I would like to take a correspondence course of interpreter in Summer to brush up my English.
May your dreams come true this year!]]>Year End Party!http://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=5202852007-12-19T23:58:52+09:002007-12-19T14:58:51Z2007-12-19T14:58:52Z
The biggest Japanese language education group in Okayama held a year end party last week. Chinese girls are singing chinese songs in the picture. There were bout 100 people at the party. Doesn't it look fun?
I was there because I sometimes arra...Yoko MatsudaPHOTO
The biggest Japanese language education group in Okayama held a year end party last week. Chinese girls are singing chinese songs in the picture. There were bout 100 people at the party. Doesn't it look fun?
I was there because I sometimes arrange Japanese classes for my client companies which have many foreign trainees. In Japan, many Japanese language teachers are working as volunteers or as very cheap part time job workers. So do teachers of this group.
For them, teaching Japanese is a grass-root cultural exchange project. Some teachers think that they should not charge expensive fee to foreign people because teachers should help foreigners, and should not want money. However, as the number of foreign people and professional language teachers grow, some teachers think that language teachers should be considered as professional workers and be guaranteed appropriate rewards. ]]>Japanese Language Classeshttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=5105992007-12-08T22:59:56+09:002007-12-12T05:29:40Z2007-12-08T13:59:56Z
I went to a Japanese class for Chinese trainees today. They are mostly in their 30's and married. They were studying very hard to get along with Japanese people for three years from now. I can imagine how hard they felt to leave their husbands and ...Yoko Matsuda
I went to a Japanese class for Chinese trainees today. They are mostly in their 30's and married. They were studying very hard to get along with Japanese people for three years from now. I can imagine how hard they felt to leave their husbands and children in China. ]]>Masuzoe Favors Easing Rules On Foreign Doctorshttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=5005532007-11-28T21:21:27+09:002007-11-28T12:25:07Z2007-11-28T12:21:27ZAccording to the Yomiuri Shimbun, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said that foreign doctors should be allowed to conduct medical activities in the structural reform zones to help alleviating the shortage of medical practitioners.
...Yoko MatsudaNews
He said that at a meeting of the National Governors Association in Tokyo on Nov.26th, 2007.
The system for designated structural reform zones allows regulations to be eased in certain areas to stimulate economic and other activities.
At the meeting, Niigata Gov. Hirohiko Izumida asked Masuzoe to let foreigners who got the doctorate at Niigata University's faculty of medicine offer their services in a designated structural reform district.
The Medical Practitioners Law obliges doctors who have a foreign medical license to acquire a Japanese national qualification before they can conduct medical practices in Japan. However, many foreign doctors are unable to acquire the national qualification because they lack Japanese language ability and other factors.
The Niigata prefectural government has applied to the central government to set up a structural reform zone where non-Japanese doctors can conduct medical practices in underpopulated areas.
Masuzoe was receptive to Izumida's suggestion.]]>Five People Caught By New Immigration Procedurehttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=4945092007-11-22T08:46:03+09:002007-11-21T23:46:03Z2007-11-21T23:46:03ZAccording to an article of Tokyo shimbun on Nov. 21, 2007, by new immigration procedure that started at airports and seaports in Japan, five people were investigated because their fingerprints matched that of past evictee. Three of them are considered...Yoko MatsudaNews
http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/national/news/CK2007112102065958.html]]>Multilingual Info for Non-Japanese DV Survivorshttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=4925912007-11-20T16:57:52+09:002007-11-20T08:15:31Z2007-11-20T07:57:52ZGender Equality Bureau of Cabinet Office provides the information for DV Survivor on its website. There is the information for non-Japanese survivors, too.
This information is provided according to the DV prevention Act.
Information for DV Surv...Yoko MatsudaMARRIAGE&DIVORCE
This information is provided according to the DV prevention Act.
Chinese
http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/foreignpdf/06chinese.pdf Korean
http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/foreignpdf/05korean.pdf Portuguese
http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/foreignpdf/07portuguese.pdf English
http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/foreignpdf/01english.pdf Tagalog
http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/foreignpdf/04tagalog.pdf Spanish
http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/foreignpdf/02spanish.pdf Thai
http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/foreignpdf/03thai.pdf Japanese
http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/foreignpdf/00japanese.pdf
Spousal Violence Counseling and Support Centers http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/siensya/images/foreign/08-2centere.pdf]]>How Can I Get My Criminal Record in Japan?http://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=4846452007-11-14T09:25:03+09:002007-11-14T04:56:32Z2007-11-14T00:25:03ZI got a phone call from an English speaker today. He had a complicated visa history. He said that he had been deported from Japan once. After that, he changed his name (he said "it is legal in my country.") and was able to enter Japan again soon.
H...Yoko MatsudaFAQ
He was very anxious about new immigration system at Japanese airports which starts Nov. 20th. In the new system, foreign people have to give their fingerprints and have their picture-taken. If his fingerprint meets the other one which he had given in deportation procedure, immigration may arrest him even though changing name was legal, he said. Yes, it could happen.
I am not sure he really got deported. It seemed like a denial of landing as long as the story he told me. A solution is going to be different if it was a denial of landing.
I am always frustrated with the fact that there is no way to make sure what foreign people's actual sanction were. Violation records of immigration law are strictly closed. Even if the immigration officer gives a written notice at the time of law violation, the officer gets it back when the foreigner gets deported.
I heard this story. A foreign woman mistook her own sanction and waited for the prohibition period of one year outside of Japan. She never knew that she cannot enter Japan forever until she arrived a Japanese airport one year later and the immigration officer told her so.
That was not the only one case I heard. Though written notice of their sanction is an obligation of the immiglation office according to Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, I am not sure if they conduct that right. If the notice is written in Japanese and they cannot read Japanese? If the officer read that for the foreigner and he could not get the meaning well? If they can obtain the paper when they leave Japan, they could make sure the meaning of their sanction after that.
How can they know about their own criminal history with staying outside of Japan?
While writing this article, I found the criminal record reference service for foreigners in the Okayama Police website.
People outside Japan can apply for the certificate through Japanese Embassy or Japanese Consulate in their countries. Please contact the police or Japanese consulate if you are interested. The person must apply by him/herself. Our office can pick up the certificate in Japan as an agent of you. ]]>Okayama Labour Bureau Starts Consultation for NOVA teachershttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=4799752007-11-09T08:17:56+09:002007-11-08T23:17:56Z2007-11-08T23:17:56ZSanyo shimbun said that Okayama Labour Bureau started special consultation service for NOVA teachers. Detailed information does not come up on their website. For more information, call Okayama Labour Bureau at 086-225-2015.
Okayama Labour Bureau
ht...Yoko MatsudaNews
Okayama Labour Bureau http://www.okayama.plb.go.jp/seido/gaikoku/gaikoku02.html]]>General Union Starts BBS for NOVA Teachershttp://english.visatojapan.com/?eid=4767482007-11-06T09:30:57+09:002007-11-06T00:36:28Z2007-11-06T00:30:57ZGeneral Union set up a BBS for NOVA teachers who are looking for a job, accomodation, and other information.
http://www.generalunion.org/nova/message/
Information from all over Japan is posted.Yoko MatsudaNewsBBS for NOVA teachers who are looking for a job, accomodation, and other information.