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LGT.RAIN
Silvio Berlusconi has failed in his attempt to topple the Italian government, leaving him weaker than ever and zapping the aura of invincibility that has surrounded him for two decades as he faces the possible loss of his Senate seat and a ban from ...
Hatsudai has a lot going for it. This quiet low-rise residential neighborhood just minutes west of Shinjuku boasts a friendly traditional shōtengai (shopping street) and a lively annual Awa Odori dance festival. Now add to that a really outstanding restaurant. Anis opened in early ...
International events undermine Japan's democracy. Shame on the International Olympic Committee for being a party to it.
In the glitzy and gossipy world of Japanese celebrity, hardly a week goes by without revelations being made about — or made by — Ichikawa Ebizo XI. For years, the charismatic young star of the kabuki world has never long been out of the ...
Reigning champion Kei Nishikori made quick work of Feliciano Lopez, walloping the Spaniard in a straight-sets victory Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Rakuten Japan Open. The world No. 13 Nishikori needed little over an hour to put away Lopez, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 ...
French citizen DTMV is concerned about the name listed on her alien registration card, which includes her maiden name, married name, two first names, and “epouse” (listed before her married name), which means “spouse” in French. As such, she is often referred to as ...
Shortly after the March 11 disasters, Hans left Japan without a re-entry permit. He came back on a tourist visa and is wondering if he can easily regain his previous visa status: “I am a German national and have been married to my Japanese ...
Reader GR is seeking legal assistance: “I recently moved out of a house that I rented for about five years. A few weeks later the owner sent me a message asking for ¥450,000 on top of the ¥70,000 he had for the deposit. This ...
Lee would like to prepare a will in Japan and is not sure how to proceed: “I have been living in Japan for the past 15 years and married for 12½ years to a Japanese national; we have two young children. My wife and ...
Reader JG is concerned about the changes to the Immigration Law that were passed in 2009 and are scheduled for implementation in July 2012. According to the Immigration Bureau, the Ministry of Justice and immigration lawyers, the new law will bring about a few ...
Mike has a question about applying for his permanent resident visa: “I submitted my papers last February and passed all the requirements. My problem is that I want to visit my country for one month. Is that OK? “I plan to take one month ...
In response to our previous pension articles, “Japan pension answers often case-specific” (April 19) and “Pension ‘gap years’ and missed payments” (May 10), we’ve received several reader inquiries and comments regarding kara kikan, or “gap years.” Kara kikan is a period of time during ...
We regularly receive emails from Japanese-Filipinos searching for their Japanese fathers. Many of these adults were abandoned as children, along with their Filipino mothers, while others were forced to leave Japan for various reasons. Though the circumstances are different for each family, many of ...
We received several additional English-magazine suggestions in response to our May 17 column, “Print is suffering, but English readers have never had it so good.” EL Magazine @cbryanjones and @ShanaGraves recommend EL Magazine, an entertainment and lifestyle magazine published monthly since January 1999. Each ...
Marc has a question about pension refunds for foreigners: “I was a resident of Japan for about 25 years and I paid into the system for about 20 years. Six years ago my Japanese employer transferred me to Vietnam. Since then we did an ...
Returning to Osaka after several years, James wonders what became of Kansai Time Out, the magazine that served the English-speaking community in that region and beyond: “It was an institution . . . had been around for years and was full of really interesting ...
Responding to our April 19 column (“Japan pension answers often case-specific”), KW suggests that there are further conditions — aside from the special exemptions we mentioned — under which foreigners may be able to receive a pension without paying in for 25 years. One ...