Legal
- JOIN THE PETITION! FOR THE REPEAL OF IMMIGRATION GUIDELINE NO. 8
- September 29th, 2009
- In April 2010, the Immigration Bureau will begin requesting foreigners who are obligated to enroll in social insurance to present their health insurance cards as a prerequisite for visa renewal. Many foreigners in Japan choose to purchase private health insurance because it offers certain benefits that expatriates consider important and that public insurance does not » Continue Reading
- CommentsView Comments
- The Art and the Science of Action Directing: Interview with Yuji Shimomura
- July 27th, 2009
- What is an action director? There’s a lot of different titles for people who are responsible for creating a fight scene; the action director, the stunt coordinator, the fight coordinator, etc, so it’s easy to get confused. An action director is like the overseer. They are the ones who have to think about the drama » Continue Reading
- CommentsView Comments
- Bye Bye Job, Hello Gov’t Bureaucracy
- April 15th, 2009
- Since this is my first blog entry, I’d like to express my thanks to you for at least reading this sentence, and say that this blog’s angle will be to offer practical advice and insights from the perspective of a long-time foreign resident in Japan. I’ve been here since February 2003, » Continue Reading
- CommentsView Comments
- Interior Ministry scolds MOJ for treatment of tourists
- April 13th, 2009
- Japan’s ministries are bickering with each other over an NJ issue (tourism), demonstrating how MOJ and MLITT are stepping on MOIA’s toes and goals. (Not to worry, alphabet soup defined below.) Also exposed is how Japan’s hotels aren’t keeping their legal promises. They’re snaffling tax breaks for registering with the GOJ to offer international service – » Continue Reading
- CommentsView Comments
- 2channel: the bullies’ forum
- April 3rd, 2009
- Bullying in Japan is a big problem. The victims have limited recourse. Too often they are told to suck it up and self-reflect. Or if they fight back, they get criticized for lashing out. It’s a destructive dynamic, causing much misery and many a suicide. The bullies are empowered by an odd phenomenon: In Japan, the » Continue Reading
- CommentsView Comments
- Outrage over Mie-ken teacher criminalizing students through fingerprinting.
- February 26th, 2009
- I received word recently about a schoolteacher in Mie-ken who dealt with a suspected theft by taking everyone’s fingerprints, and threatening to report them to the police. He hoped the bluff would make the culprit would come forward, but instead there’s been outrage. How dare the teacher criminalize the students thusly? » Continue Reading
- CommentsView Comments
- Local Governments don’t include Non-Japanese residents in their tallies of “local population”
- February 24th, 2009
- Someone pointed out a singular thing to me the other night – that local governments have started to lists its population and households in various municipal subsections, adding that “foreigners are not included”. » Continue Reading
- CommentsView Comments
- GOJ Human Rights Week commemorative pamphlet includes NJ issues of discrimination
- January 14th, 2009
- Good news, of sorts. December 4, 2008 saw the start of Japan’s official “Human Rights Week” (Jinken Shuukan), when the GOJ spends money (and claims to the UN national campaigns of awareness raising) to promote issues of human rights. » Continue Reading
- CommentsView Comments
Popular Posts

- Anime Avatars, Rocking Bunnies, & Cute Nerds!
- March 16, 2010
- BY Stephanie Yanez

- American Akiba Idol? The Underground Akiba Scene…
- December 9, 2009
- BY Stephanie Yanez

- New Years Day in Japan
- January 4, 2010
- BY Stephanie Yanez
About GaijinPot Blogs
GaijinPot Blogs are powered by a community of expert users with in-depth knowledge of getting the most out of living and working in Japan.
Interested in writing for us?
You're very welcome to join us and there's plenty in it for you. To find out more get in touch or read on.