Ohara & Furukawa, Author at Ohara & Furukawa

January 20, 2017

What happens to a spousal visa upon divorce in Japan?

Spousal visas are usually granted in 3 or 5 year terms and can be renewed over and over again to allow the spouse of a Japanese national to remain in Japan for an extended period of time. However, a lot can happen in a span of 3 or 5 years and in some cases couples may decide to divorce while the foreign spouse still has time remaining on his or her spousal visa. However, even if the foreigner spouse’s visa is still valid, once the couple divorces, the foreign spouse has a responsibility to report the divorce to immigration and […]

January 18, 2017

What happens if I don’t follow the terms of my visa in Japan?

The Minister of Justice may revoke a foreigner’s status of residence upon a finding that the foreigner obtained residency status through deceit or that the foreigner has not engaging in the activities associated with his or her visa for three months or more while living in Japan. There is an exception made for foreigners who have a justifiable reason for not engaging in their visa approved activities.

January 16, 2017

When can rent on property be raised in Japan?

In Japan, traditionally rent is not raised every year and there are there are only 4 statutorily recognized situations where rent may be adjusted. The Act on Land and Building Leases lists the 4 situations: 1) property taxes have increased or decreased, 2) property values have increased or decreased, 3) some other change in the economic situation, & 4) the rent is inappropriate compared with other properties in the area. Barring one of these 4 situations, rent should not be adjusted either up or down. However, situation #3 (change in economic situation) is very vague and can be used to […]

January 12, 2017

What is a share certificate?

While not all companies issued them, share certificates were sometimes created by companies in Japan when issuing stock. The certificates acted as physical proof of the ownership of the shares and transfer of a share certificate generally was legally recognized as transfer of the equivalent amount of company stock.