residence

The Ministry of Justice will accept requests for disclosure of alien registration records for foreigners living in Japan.  Having a copy of these records can help foreign nationals clarify the source of their immigration problems or provide evidence in an immigration dispute.  However, these records contain very private information and therefore, the Ministry of Justice takes great care to avoid disclosing them to the wrong person.  The ministry does this by ensuring that only applications for disclosure by certain people will be accepted.

In order to obtain Japanese permanent residency, there is a list of requirements that the applicant must meet.  Some of these requirements include the amount of time spent living in Japan, proof of good conduct and sufficient economic resources, among other things.  However, for spouses of Japanese citizens, these requirements are relaxed in order to make it easier for them to obtain permanent residence in Japan.

When information on a foreign national’s residence card becomes out-of-date, it is the foreign national’s duty to report the change to the local ward office or immigration office.  Most information should be reported to the relevant office within 14 days, although there are some exceptions.  Changes to address should be reported to the ward office, while other changes, such as nationality, name or gender should be reported to the immigration office.