Ohara & Furukawa, Author at Ohara & Furukawa

July 6, 2016

How long do you have to pay a traffic ticket in Japan?

Minor traffic violations in Japan are often punished with a fine and do not usually result in an appearance in court. After the traffic violation, the driver will receive a blue Traffic Violation Ticket and a Fine Payment Bill. If the fine is paid within 8 days, the case is closed.

July 4, 2016

What is the notary system in Japan?

The notary system in Japan is an organization of state licensed notary agents who provide official certification for contracts and other legal matters. By having a notary certify the signing of a contract, the issue of the executing the contract cannot be litigated in court as the notary’s certification removes all doubt that the parties signed the agreement in question. In this way, the notary system reducing the number of contract disputes that end up in litigation.

July 1, 2016

How are child support payments calculated in Japan?

The basic premise behind child support payments in Japan is to give the child a standard of living enjoyed by the parent with the obligation to pay child support. These payments can either be determined by a government schedule or through a calculation. Because court-ordered child support payments are based on a formula and are fairly easy to predict, it usually allows divorcing parties to agree on the amount of child support payments relatively quickly.

June 29, 2016

What are the steps in the naturalization application process?

There are three steps to applying for naturalization in Japan: filling out the application, review by the local branch of the Ministry of Justice and final certification of the documents in Tokyo. Each of these stages can take months to complete so applicants should be forewarned that citizenship is not granted quickly in Japan.