English Speaking Lawyers

AKAGI, Fumio Phone: 078-321-5558 Fax: 078-392-1424 Address: Shinko Bldg., 2F 8 Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0024 Specialty: maritime law and banking law Education: Ritsumeikan University, 1954, LL.B Memberships: Hyogo Bar Association NISHI, Masaru Phone: 078-994-3497 Fax: 078-994-3497 Address: Nishi Law Office 1-10-21 Akibadai Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2224 Specialty: private international law and international transaction Education: Kyoto University, […]

Arrested in Japan

Arrested in Japan While nobody plans on getting arrested while they’re over here, it does occasionally happen. The British embassy provides a very thorough Guide for British Nationals Arrested in Japan, which is applicable to nationals of other countries as well. Also check the section titled “Drunk Driving and Drug Use” in your General Information […]

Paid Leave

Paid leave, or nenkyu, is a precious commodity for most JETs, and therefore many questions/problems seem to revolve around it. Read the following points so that you can avoid some common problems. Nenkyu will vary Yearly paid leave for local government employees is determined by local regulations, and because we have different contracting organizations, the […]

Special Leave

Types Of Special Leave Bereavement Leave Marital Leave Natural Disasters Pre/Post-natal Leave Maternity Leave Menstrual Leave Leave to care for an ill child Commuter Transportation Failure Special Leave includes all forms of leave other than your paid leave. The details will vary from contract to contract, so this list is just for reference. These types […]

Taxes Back Home

One of the nice things about Japan is that the company takes care of the taxes. No April 15th, no frantic and confusing filling out of pages of forms. Your company (school, BOE) takes care of everything for you. Unfortunately, the same is not true for most other countries, and even though you’re over here, […]

Statement of Earnings

Depending on your country of origin, when doing your home country tax return, you may have to include a statement from your Contracting Organization in Japan about your annual earnings. This statement is known as your gensenchoshuhyo, and is issued to you in January of each year. It covers the period from January 1st to […]

Police Clearance Certificate

After you go back home, some programs in some countries will require that you get a police clearance certificate (犯罪経歴証明書). For example, if you want to become a teacher in New Zealand, you will probably need a police clearance certificate to become registered. If this is the case, make sure you get one before you […]