Ken Joseph Jr. - The Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Feb 21, 2006

Insurance snub My husband recently passed away. I have a three-year visa and a valid driver's license, but when I went to renew my insurance, I was told by the insurance company that they could not insure me because I was a foreigner.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Feb 7, 2006

Guarantors and leaving the country

Guarantor Is there an organization in Japan that serves as a guarantor for foreigners in Japan who want to rent apartments?

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Jan 3, 2006

Landlords, car repairs, and city hall

Landlord Five years ago my landlord asked for access to our apartment in order to fix a water problem in another premises directly under ours. Damage done to this apartment during that work still has not been repaired. Recently we had a problem with our electrical system and the electrician discovered...

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Dec 20, 2005

Names, cards and insurance

Naming a child I have heard that Japan does not allow middle names, even for children with foreign parents. Why not? Is there a way I can "sneak in" a middle name? Can I use a hyphen? I really want my children to have middle names.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Dec 6, 2005

Pensions, wills and helplines

Pensions I will be leaving Japan soon -- I've been here for two years -- and have been paying into the National Pension System. How do I go about applying for the refund? I have also heard that there are agencies that do the paperwork for a fee.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Sep 13, 2005

Counseling, insurance and prints

TELL counseling Tokyo English Life Line (TELL) is accepting applications for the Telephone Counselors Training Program, that begins in September.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Aug 16, 2005

Moving and bank hassle

Moving expenses We need help negotiating with the new owner of our building. It is going to be demolished, and we have been told to leave.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Jul 26, 2005

Inheritance, swimming and men

Property tax I am building a home here on land jointly owned by my wife (Japanese citizen) at a 50:50 recorded proportion (land only).

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Jun 14, 2005

What's the deal with leaving Japan?

Leaving Japan DAVE WRITES: I am considering whether or not to return to my country after having worked in Japan for almost 10 years. I would like some information on what official procedures are necessary to end my stay here, particularly with respect to my visa, income taxes, pensions, and health insurance....

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

May 31, 2005

Residency, repairs, finance and printing

Permanent Residency You've probably addressed this question before, but if you could enlighten me once again, I'd be grateful, indeed.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

May 3, 2005

Rail passes, credit and changing your cash

More credit queries I notice lately you've had a lot of queries regarding credit cards in Japan. One question I'm curious about is -- why?

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Apr 5, 2005

Burned out, wills and tax advice

Fire! Last week our house had a fire We had just moved into a rental house and paid all the key money, real estate fees etc. and nine days later our neighbor's house had a major fire, which spread to ours. The neighbor's house is completely burned, and one person died. My family all escaped unhurt,...

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Feb 15, 2005

Insurance, selling your home and pet care

Insurance query Isn't health insurance in Japan different from "kaigo hoken?" And, is it true that if a permanent resident with a legitimate visa stops paying the health insurance premiums that basically nothing can be done? In other words, the "kuyakusho" will eventually remove the person's name from...

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Jan 18, 2005

Repairs, old CDs and disaster information

Apartment problems My wife and I have lived in our small apartment for 7 years. In that time, we have had virtually no contact with our landlord or real estate agent.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Jan 4, 2005

Aged care, drivers' license woes and an alert

'Kaigo hoken' I have been in Japan many years but have never applied for permanent residence. I had personal insurance under Pacific Star until last year. Their present carrier will not insure past renewal at age 64. I do not know how much longer I will be in Japan but I am positive that at the time...

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Dec 7, 2004

The guy, tax worries and cops

The guy Reader David has a question for "the guy who answers them for the foreign community."

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Nov 9, 2004

Classes, groups and driving

Japanese classes I am on a month-long holiday travel staying here in Tokyo. I am interested and looking for Japanese beginner level language courses.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Oct 26, 2004

Dodgy landlords and police

Dodgy landlord I was two weeks late with my rent and the landlord locked me out of my apartment. Is there anything I can do?

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Oct 5, 2004

Alien card concerns and a visitor

Fall is a beautiful time in Japan. If you have a chance, try and get away to to the mountains somewhere -- Nikko, Chichibu . . . it is absolutely beautiful.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Sep 21, 2004

Office space and garbage

The office I am starting a small business and looking for an office. I hear that you have to pay many months -- up to a year -- to rent an office. Is this true and is there anything I can do about it?

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