Japan Reciprocity Schedule

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Visa Classification	Fee	Number of Applications	Validity Period
A-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
A-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
A-3 [1]	None	Multiple	24 Months
B-1	None	Multiple	120 Months
B-2	None	Multiple	120 Months
B-1/B-2	None	Multiple	120 Months
C-1	None	Multiple	120 Months
C-1/D	None	Multiple	120 Months
C-2	None	Multiple	12 Months
C-3	None	Multiple	60 Months
D	None	Multiple	120 Months
E-1 [2]	None	Multiple	60 Months
E-2 [2]	None	Multiple	60 Months
F-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
F-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-3	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-4	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-5 [1]	None	Multiple	24 Months
H-1B	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-1C	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-2A	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-2B	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-2R	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-3	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-4	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
I	None	Multiple	60 Months
J-1 [4]	None	Multiple	60 Months
J-2 [4]	None	Multiple	60 Months
K-1	None	One	6 Months
K-2	None	One	6 Months
K-3	None	Multiple	24 Months
K-4	None	Multiple	24 Months
L-1	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
L-2	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
M-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
M-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
N-8	None	Multiple	60 Months
N-9	None	Multiple	60 Months
NATO 1-7	N/A	N/A	N/A
O-1	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
O-2	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
O-3	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
P-1	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
P-2	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
P-3	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
P-4	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
Q-1 [6]	None	Multiple	15 Months [3]
R-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
R-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
S-5 [7]	None	One	1 Month
S-6 [7]	None	One	1 Month
S-7 [7]	None	One	1 Month
T-1 [9]	N/A	N/A	N/A
T-2	None	One	6 Months
T-3	None	One	6 Months
T-4	None	One	6 Months
T-5	None	One	6 Months
TD [5]	N/A	N/A	N/A
V-1	None	Multiple	120 Months
V-2	None	Multiple	120 Months [8]
V-3	None	Multiple	120 Months [8]

Documents

Civil documents and records in Japan are reliable. All civil records for Okinawa prefecture were destroyed during World War II, except those records maintained on the islands of Miyako and Yaeyama. The destroyed records were recreated, based on the testimony of the persons involved.

Birth Certificates

Available. The birth record of a Japanese national is contained in the Japanese family register (koseki shohon), showing date/place of birth and parents' names is issued by the Municipal Office of the applicant's legal domicile (honseki-chi).

A non-Japanese citizen born in Japan who is stateless (and therefore has no consular report of birth) may present a certificate of acceptance of notification of birth (shussei todoke juri shomeisho) from the Municipal Office where the applicant was born. This record is maintained for ten years.

Marriage and Other Records

Available. The Japanese extract of the family register (koseki shohon), available from the Municipal Office, generally contains all current information that would be found in separate birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, or death records. Therefore a married person's koseki shohon serves as evidence of both birth and present marriage.

The koseki shohon usually omits outdated records such as annulled adoptions, a former marriage, divorce or the death of a former spouse. Further, in the case of a person who was removed from one koseki and placed into another by adoption or marriage, the current koseki sometimes does not indicate the person’s place of birth. If the omitted portion is required, an extract from the canceled koseki (joseki shohon) must be obtained from the Municipal Office holding the applicant's previous family register.

Records of civil actions pertaining to non-Japanese citizens, such as marriage, adoption, divorce or death are available from the Municipal Office where the action was registered, in the same manner as the birth record of a non-Japanese citizen. Marriage and adoption records are maintained for 50 years. Divorce and death records are kept for 10 years.

Police Certificates

Available. Japanese police certificates will not contain information about criminal convictions when:

1. The period of suspended sentence has ended;
2. The penalty of the crime was a fine, and the crime occurred more than five years ago;
3. The term of the prison sentence ended more than ten years ago; or
4. The conviction was vacated or the criminal was subject to a pardon or amnesty.

Persons convicted of crimes in Japan may obtain court conviction records indefinitely. The headquarters' records section of the Metropolitan or Prefectural police issues certificates which include a nationwide criminal records check.

Applicants Physically Present in Japan: Foreign nationals holding legal resident status and Japanese citizens must apply in person at the Metropolitan or Prefectural police headquarters having jurisdiction over their present place of residence in Japan. Processing time: approximately 3 weeks.

Applicants Outside of Japan: Former legal residents, former illegal aliens, and Japanese citizens, should apply at the nearest Japanese Consulate. Processing time: Two to three months.

Applicants Physically Present in Japan as Illegal Aliens: Officially, the Japanese police will not process requests for police good conduct certificates from illegal aliens while they are physically present in Japan. In some cases, however, the police will issue the appropriate police certificate, provided that the illegal alien submits to deportation proceedings and agrees to leave Japan by a date specified by Japanese Immigration.

U.S. Forces, Japan (USFJ): Criminal records of the Japanese and USFJ police are not cross-indexed. Therefore, a crime that occurred in one jurisdiction may not be reported to the police of the other jurisdiction. USFJ applicants, (civilian employees or military personnel, and family members), who are physically present in Japan under the Status of Forces Agreement, (SOFA) must show the results of a check of both Japanese and USFJ criminal records. This type of USFJ police certificate will explicitly state that Japanese as well as USFJ criminal records were both checked and give the results. Processing time: Approximately two months.

Other USFJ police agencies issue a police certificate stating that only USFJ criminal records were checked. Processing time: Approximately two weeks. Such applicants must then obtain a separate Japanese police certificate, as described above.

USFJ police certificates are unavailable to applicants outside of Japan. However, Defense Department law enforcement agencies may be able to determine if an applicant, who formerly resided in Japan under the SOFA, engaged in criminal activity.

Court Records

Available. Records of court judgment are maintained at the relevant office of the District Public Prosecutor's office (chiho kensatucho kirokuka). A certified copy of judgment (hanketsu tohon) may be issued both to Japanese and non-Japanese upon application, but personal appearance is required. The applicant must state his/her name in Chinese characters if the applicant is Japanese, Chinese or Korean, their date of birth, permanent legal domicile and the purpose for which the court judgment is required. An applicant residing abroad can be issued a court record only through the attorney who represented the applicant at the time of his or her trial or the applicant's relative in Japan who has a power of attorney to apply for such a certificate.

Prison Records

Complete prison records are unavailable. A prison can issue a certificate showing the dates of incarceration upon request either in person or by letter. A request by mail must include a postage-paid, self-addressed envelope.

Military Records

Available. Records for Imperial Japanese military service, up to and including World War II, can be obtained by written request in Japanese to either the Prefectural Government's Welfare Section or the Ministry of Welfare: Koseisho, Shakai-Engo-Kyoku, 1-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-45, Japan; telephone: 03-3503-1711, extension 3420 (Army); extension 3477 (Navy).

A letter characterizing the nature of service in the post-1945 Japanese Self-Defense Forces is available upon request by the applicant to his or her former unit commander.

Municipal Office

Civil actions in Japan become legally effective only when notification is accepted by the Municipal Office where the action was performed. For example, a court record of adoption is not legally final and a church wedding has no legal standing prior to proper registration at a Municipal Office.

Note: All civilian documents for the Prefecture of Okinawa were destroyed prior to the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, except those retained on the islands of Miyako and Yaeyama.

Passport and Other Travel Documents

Ordinary passports for multiple journeys are valid for five years from the date of issue and may be renewed abroad at a Japanese diplomatic or consular office. Official or diplomatic passports are issued for either single or multiple journeys and remain valid for five years or until the bearer returns to Japan. Legal resident nationals of countries with which Japan has no relations may seek to travel on re-entry permits. All such travel documents satisfy INA 212(a)(7)(B).

Visa Issuing Post

Tokyo, Japan (Embassy) -- Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas

Box 205
APO AP 96337-5004

Naha, Japan (Consulate General) -- Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas

FPO AP 96372-0840

Osaka-Kobe, Japan (Consulate General) -- Nonimmigrant Visas only

Box 239
APO AP 96337-5004

Visa Services

Immigrant Visas: Tokoyo serves all prefectures of the four main islands of Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu) and the Northern Mariana Islands. Naha serves Okinawa and the Amami Islands of Kagoshima ken.

Nonimmigrant Visas: Areas are served according to the table below:

Area	Post
Aichi	Osaka-Kobe
Akita	Tokyo
Aomori	Tokyo
Chiba	Tokyo
Ehime	Osaka-Kobe
Fukuoka	Osaka-Kobe
Fukui	Osaka-Kobe
Fukkushima	Tokyo
Gifu	Osaka-Kobe
Gumma	Tokyo
Hiroshima	Osaka-Kobe
Hokkaido	Tokyo
Hyogo	Osaka-Kobe
Ibaraki	Tokyo
Ishikawa	Osaka-Kobe
Iwate	Tokyo
Kagawa	Osaka-Kobe
Kagoshima Portion north of 29th parallel	Osaka-Kobe
Kagoshima Portion south of 29th parallel	Naha
Kanagawa	Tokyo
Kochi	Osaka-Kobe
Kumamoto	Osaka-Kobe
Kyoto	Osaka-Kobe
Mie	Osaka-Kobe
Miyagi	Tokyo
Nagano	Tokyo
Nagasaki	Osaka-Kobe
Nara	Osaka-Kobe
Niigata	Tokyo
Oita	Osaka-Kobe
Okayama	Osaka-Kobe
Okinawa	Naha
Osaka	Osaka-Kobe
Saga	Osaka-Kobe
Saitama	Tokyo
Shiga	Osaka-Kobe
Shimane	Osaka-Kobe
Shizuoka	Tokyo
Tochigi	Tokyo
Tokushima	Osaka-Kobe
Tokyo	Tokyo
Tottori	Osaka-Kobe
Toyama	Osaka-Kobe
Wakayama	Osaka-Kobe
Yamagata	Tokyo
Yamaguchi	Osaka-Kobe
U.S. Forces	Tokyo

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