Reader AP asked how house and land prices are decided in Japan. “If a person has lived in a house for over 40 years without any type of contract and either the landlord wants to sell or the tenant wants to buy the land ...

‘Kathy’ writes: “My husband and I have a property in Japan, which is under his name. Unfortunately we are filing a divorce now. We have a 5-year-old son, who I am fighting for the custody of. My husband doesn’t have a job, and he ...

Reader BM wants to know if morphine can be brought into Japan legally, and if having a tattoo would prevent her from visiting bathing facilities. She writes: “Due to certain health issues that cause chronic pain, I’ve been on a prescription of morphine for ...

Lana is planning to get married in Japan and wants to know if it’s possible to arrange a prenuptial agreement. “I am about to get married to a Japanese national and would like to inquire about ‘prenup’ agreements in Japan,” she writes. “Are they ...

Reader PW teaches at an international school in Tokyo and wants to know about Japan’s retirement laws: “My school says the retirement age is 60. They will let you keep teaching until age 65, but during that time you lose all retirement pay and ...

Reader DD writes: “I am currently unemployed. My last day as an employee of my previous company (Company A) was July 31. My reason for leaving was 1) management had decided to shut down the Tokyo team, and 2) I was going to join ...

MJ is considering using an experimental drug that his doctor has offered to treat colitis, but isn’t sure who is responsible if anything goes wrong. “After many unsuccessful treatments, it seems we are getting close to or have arrived at a last-resort stage. He ...

Reader AM informed us that Japan Post no longer accepts alien registration cards as valid identification. “Even though alien registration certificates are valid until 2015, Japan Post decided effective July 9, 2012, to no longer accept such cards. Please see this website,” he writes. ...