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Legal

No Insurance does NOT mean No Visa: November 4th, 2009By freechoice; Free Choice has obtained a copy of an ‘internal’ Immigration Bureau document that seems to clarify the issue of foreigners’ enrollment in Japan’s social health care system as a prerequisite for visa renewal. A DPJ Lower House lawmaker, after questioning Justice Minister Chiba about Guideline Number 8, was sent the document via fax from Immigration » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

New rules for getting a visa in Japan: October 30th, 2009By Robert Crane; Next year the rules for renewing a visa in Japan change, requiring every foreign resident to undergo a new process in order to extend their stay. Listed below are the key things to keep in mind. » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

The Great Debate – Part II: October 26th, 2009By Frederick Delisle; Less than a month ago I wrote to you about the great debate going on in Japan and by the way America about the presence of American Military in Japan 60 years after the war and who is paying the bills. It seems that all the politicians in the World have picked up on this » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Kobe City gets involved in immigration/insurance issue – takes national government to task over new guideline: October 22nd, 2009By freechoice; The port city of Kobe, which has a long history of openness and acceptance toward non-Japanese, has sent a letter to Japan’s national government about the new Immigration guidelines. The Kobe City Assembly, chaired by Mr. Kenji Yoshida, has drafted a consensus demanding clarification of the proposed guidelines and the criteria that Immigration will use » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

More on Immigration Guideline No. 8: October 7th, 2009By freechoice; In April 2010, the Immigration Bureau will begin requesting foreigners to show their social health insurance cards as a prerequisite for visa renewal. Why is this a bad idea? The guideline was intended to compel employers to observe the law by enrolling their employees in social insurance. However, it puts foreigners between a rock and a hard » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

The Great Debate: September 29th, 2009By Frederick Delisle; Why are the American military still in Japan 60 years after the war and who is paying the bills? Have you heard the story about the Japanese Elementary School Teacher who was giving a lecture on the Great Pacific War when one of his students raised his hand? Yes, the teachers, said. The boy asked teacher » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

JOIN THE PETITION! FOR THE REPEAL OF IMMIGRATION GUIDELINE NO. 8: September 29th, 2009By freechoice; 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; CommentsComments

The Art and the Science of Action Directing: Interview with Yuji Shimomura: July 27th, 2009By Chuck Johnson; 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; CommentsComments

Bye Bye Job, Hello Gov’t Bureaucracy: April 15th, 2009By Alex Farrell; 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; CommentsComments

Interior Ministry scolds MOJ for treatment of tourists: April 13th, 2009By Arudou Debito; 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; CommentsComments